The first case of Lassa fever currently taking its toll in different parts of the country was brought to the Accident and Emergency unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on Friday evening. According to an attendant at the unit who spoke on condition of anonymity, the first confirmed case of Lassa fever is now in Accident and Emergency unit of LUTH. The source said the patient identified as Ahmed Fasasi, a 25 year old male who is a student of Ahmadu Bello University was brought in Friday evening.
He is said to have just arrived from the Northern part of Nigeria. He said, “The Patient isolated, containment area being devised, ribavirin available. The Theatre in Accident and Emergency will be used as isolation ward. No need to panic. But limit movement to Accident and Emergency if not necessary.” The source said the management of the hospital got information that the patient was first admitted in a private hospital in Lagos, saying they have also started contact tracing to avert spread of the disease in the state.
It was gathered that the patient was bleeding through the nose while one of the nurses at the unit with the doctor on duty eventually came to the patient’s aid and later directed that a series of tests be conducted on him before he was admitted into the ward. As patients jitter over the development, medic at the unit assured them that they were taking precautions to ensure that they were wearing protective garment before attending to sick patients to prevent any cross-infection should it be Lassa fever.
