By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Katsina state government has confirmed an additional case of Lassa fever, bringing the total number of recent cases of the infectious disease to four.
An official of the State Primary Health Care Agency, Dr. Kabir Sulaiman stated this while briefing on the development, revealing that three of the four cases have resulted in fatalities.
Confirmed cases were recorded in Funtua and Dan Musa Local government areas of Katsina state.
Out of the four confirmed cases, three patients have died, while the only surviving patient, a female, is the spouse of one of the deceased.
A total of forty-four contacts were identified and isolated for monitoring.
Out of this number, thirty-seven have been discharged after completing the observation period.
Confirming the development, a senior official with the State Primary Health Care Agency says the government has put in place appropriate measures to curtail the spread of the disease.
A patient who is currently in quarantine at the Infectious Diseases Centre of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, is responding to treatment.
Medical experts have called on the public to adopt proper hygiene practices and avoid contact with rodents, which are known to be the primary carriers of the disease.
