Hemorrhagic Fever: Army Hospital Shuts Emergency Department

Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna (NARHK) has shut down its Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department over the loss of three members of staff and a patient to suspected acute Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF).

The acting corps commander medical (CCM) of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General S.O. Okoigi disclosed this in an internal memo dated February 21, 2024.

He said the suspected index patient was brought to the hospital with febrile illness about 10 days ago.

“ They are suspected to have died from acute 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. The common symptoms in those affected included fever, and nonspecific symptoms likened to 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.“

Okoigi further disclosed that the Kaduna State epidemiologists have been invited to help in unraveling the aetiology of the febrile illness with a view to curtailing the spread of the disease.

This, he said is in addition to strict disease Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures that have been directed to be emplaced.