MSF Treats 58 Lassa Fever Patients In Ebonyi

The Ebonyi State project coordinator of Medecins Sans Frontieres also known as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Mr. Elton Mbofana, has said 58 Lassa fever patients were treated and discharged at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA) by a team of the international humanitarian organisation

Briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, Mbafona said 38 percent of the total number died as a result of late presentation and called for concerted effort towards the prevention of the disease.

He urged the states’ Ministry of Health across the country to intensify the campaign against consumption of rats, particularly multimammate rat specie which host the virus as the peak period of the disease approaches.

The MSF official said that healthcare workers were mostly at risk of catching the disease adding that most of them stood the risk of contracting the disease while treating a patient due to lack of personal protective equipment and sub-optimal infection prevention and control measures.

He said the humanitarian group began its medical activities in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State in March 2018 to respond to Lassa fever, with a focus on reducing transmission to healthcare workers and on improving case management to reduce mortality from the disease.

Mbafona said the MFS teams were currently working closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC and the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health in the Alex-Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki to test and treat patients with the disease.

He said the organisation also ensured protective measures for hospital staff, patients, caregivers and visitors adding that it also provided the patients with mental health support and conducting awareness raising activities in the communities.

In his presentation, the MSF project medical referent, Dr. Slaymen Ammar, lamented that so far there was no vaccine to prevent Lassa fever adding that diagnosing the disease was also complex and unaffordable for many.

“The main drug used to treat Lassa fever, Ribavirin is also expensive, putting treatment out of reach for most people.

“The cost of treatment of Lassa Fever needs to be subsidised to ensure that everyone have early access to care. We urge the Nigerian health authorities to improve funding so that treatment of Lassa fever I free of charge,” he said.

He said Ribavirin needed to be given to patients within six days of being infected adding that it had not been proven effective in randomized controlled trials.

He said people infected with Lassa Fever often suffer stigma because of its association with hunting rats are common source of food for lower socio-economic groups.

Between 2005 and 2010, the Alex-Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, lost at least not less than 10 of its staff to Lassa fever disease while attending to patients.