[ad_1]
The Lagos State Government has confirmed that a 15-day-old baby has tested positive for Lassa Fever in the state following an earlier confirmation and an ongoing treatment of the baby’s mother at the state-owned Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.
This is as the affected family has confirmed improved management of the cases following PREMIUM TIMES’ earlier report of an alleged poor treatment of the patients and poor sanitation at the public facility.
But the state has denied poor handling of the cases, saying it is following the WHO protocols in managing the situation.
Improved treatment
This newspaper had on Thursday reported the case in the state as confirmed in a nursing mother who was transferred from a private health facility in Ondo State to another private facility in Surulere, Lagos.
A relative of the family who spoke to our reporter, Olaitan Ale, accused the management of lacking necessary medications and consumables and that it took the family to travel as far as Nasarawa State to procure the WHO-recommended Ribavirin drug to manage the patient.
But following the publication, Mr Ale confirmed that the hospital management improved in its response, and sanitation officials began proper cleaning of the isolation ward and hitherto weedy environment.
“We are impressed by the newspaper’s response and we can confirm that things have significantly improved. Now, most things they said were not available including medications, and dialysis machine have been made available. It is unfortunate that the media had to be involved before we could access care,” the source said.
According to Mr Ale, the medication the family procured in Nasarawa is currently being used to take care of the patients.
The permanent secretary in the state’s Ministry of health, Olusegun Ogboye, had also on Saturday told PREMIUM TIMES that the state is taking proper care of the patients based on the WHO protocols.
Government denies negligence
But in response to this newspaper’s report, the state government on Saturday denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the patients were receiving care as recommended by the global health organisation.
In a statement personally signed by the Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, a professor, a copy of which was made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, the government alleged that the patient moved from Ondo State to Lagos without waiting for the result of the Lassa fever test run in Ondo State.
Mr Abayomi wrote: “The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to an online news report published in the Premium Times (an online Nigerian newspaper) of Thursday, 6 April, 2023 titled, ‘Lassa Fever: Family Alleges Poor Care At Lagos Hospital’, wherein it was reported that relatives of a patient infected with Lassa Fever alleged poor management of the patient at the Lagos Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba. This is not true.
“The patient referred to in the report is a 38-year-old female who was delivered of a baby 15 days ago in Akure, Ondo State. Fever started about the same time and, based on clinical suspicion, a sample for Lassa Fever test was taken. Before the result was ready the family opted to bring the patient to a private hospital in Lagos from where she was referred to Mainland Hospital (Lagos Infectious Disease Hospital), located in Yaba on the night of Wednesday 5th of April following the release of a positive Lassa fever result done at the Lassa unit in Ondo.”
He said since her arrival at the facility, the patient is currently in isolation at IDH and “placed on the appropriate medication for Lassa fever and is being reviewed by appropriate specialists, including infectious disease experts, gynecologist, nephrologist and hematologist.”
The commissioner said through the state’s prompt intervention and management, “the mother and baby are stable. They are responding well to treatment.”
Contact tracing
Mr Abayomi said a sample was collected from the newborn for investigation in line with the standard protocol of contact tracing. “The sample also tested positive. The mother and baby are on appropriate medication and receiving adequate management, care, and attention at our facility.”
He also added that the state is collaborating with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to strengthen disease surveillance, response, and management in the state.
“We have at no time run out of critical medication or consumables and facilities required in the management of the disease,” the commissioner said.
This is, however, contrary to the family’s claim that it was made to provide every item used to attend to the patient including the WHO-recommended Ribavirin that it could only get in Nasarawa State.
Designated zonal centres
Meanwhile, the commissioner also noted that towards achieving proper management of Lassa fever cases, NCDC has designated some zonal centres and that the one in the South-west is located in Owo, Ondo State.
“We urge patients to wait for test results so that they can be referred to the right Centre for expert management of their condition. Moving patients between states when they are suspected of having a dangerous infectious disease exposes lots of people to the risk of infection,” he cautioned.
Support PREMIUM TIMES’ journalism of integrity and credibility
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
Donate
TEXT AD: Call Willie – +2348098788999
[ad_2]
Source link
