The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has directed healthcare workers to implement standard Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures to check the spread of Lassa fever in the country.
Its director-general, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, gave the directive yesterday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
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Adetifa, who said that IPC is an essential and integral aspect of the clinical management of Lassa fever, stressed that “all healthcare workers should have high index of suspicion for Lassa fever in individuals who have not responded to standard anti-malaria treatment.”
He added that the suspicion should also apply to resistance to treatment for other common infectious diseases within 48–72 hours.
The DG revealed that immediate nationwide diagnosis of samples testing laboratories is ongoing.
He said that reports from the preparedness survey in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT were shared to assess readiness.
He added that “the responses will facilitate the hosting of the first Lassa Fever webinar in 2024, focusing on ‘Empowering Communities to Combat Lassa Fever.’”
He disclosed that there was a meeting with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) aimed at enhancing research during outbreaks and peacetime.
An off-site support for IPC and safe burials was provided to affected states, he noted.
However, he disclosed that challenges persisted, including late case presentations.
Adetifa said “poor health-seeking behaviour, driven by high costs of treatment and inadequate environmental sanitary conditions in high-burden communities, are notable concerns.
“Moreover, there’s a lack of awareness in communities, posing additional challenges to effective response measures.”