A suspected outbreak of viral haemorrhagic fever (Lassa fever) has claimed the lives of three staff members of 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.
The revelation was contained in a letter by the Acting Commander Nigerian Army Medical Corps copied to all Nigerian Army healthcare facilities and made available to Daily Trust in Kaduna.
According to the letter, “The Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of 44 NARHK has witnessed the loss of three members of staff and a patient in the last 48 hours with some in critical condition.
“They are suspected to have died from Acute Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF). This followed the management of a patient with febrile illness thought to have been the index patient with the disease 10 days ago, having presented with a febrile illness. The patient also died from the suspected disease condition.
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“The common symptoms in those affected included fever, and non- specific symptoms like malaria. However, the illness was complicated by abnormal liver function, acute kidney failure, encephalopathy, microangiopathy, elevated D-Dimer, among others.
“The A&E has been closed for a thorough disinfection process and samples have been taken from suspected contacts and the deceased and sent to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) laboratory in Kano for analysis.”
Meanwhile, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has directed the State Ministry of Health to immediately investigate and ascertain the situation at the 44 Army Reference Hospital facility after an outbreak of dangerous Lassa disease in the facility.
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