Gombe records 6 deaths from Lassa fever outbreak

Gombe State has recorded six deaths from Lassa fever outbreak in Kaltungo Local Government Area, an official has said.

The coordinator of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Kaltungo LGA, Comfort Danlami, said the outbreak was confirmed on April 11, and occurred at an almajiri school in Dogon Ruwa ward.

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She disclosed this yesterday during an advocacy visit by the team of the Gombe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (GoHealth) to the palace of the Mai Kaltungo, Saleh Muhammed.

She explained that the new outbreak was discovered when five students of the almajiri School became ill and were taken to a hospital.

She said, “Initially, they were suspected to be suffering from meningitis, but when their samples were taken and examined they were confirmed to be Lassa fever.

“The five suspected cases were confirmed dead while their teacher later fell ill and it was confirmed to be Lassa fever and he also died that same day; that makes the number of deaths to be six.”

She further said that her team had embarked on sensitisation in the community, while the team of the state epidemiologists had embarked on tracing suspected cases and those who came in contact with the confirmed cases in the community and its environs.

She added that an isolation centre had been established to cater for the confirmed and suspected cases in the area, noting that 76 other suspected cases had been sent for confirmation.