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24— Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019
Lassa fever outbreak:
NCDC confirms 23 new cases, 4 deaths
THE Nigeria Centre
for Diseases
Control, NCDC,
has confirmed 23 new
cases of Lassa fever
including 4 deaths.
According to the report
released on its website
for the week 11th ending
17th March, 2019, the
new cases were reported
from nine states, namely
Edo with eight cases;
Ondo with four cases;
Ebonyi with three cases;
Bauchi recodred three
cases; Taraba, Enugu,
Benue, and Kebbi state
have one case each.
Edo state recorded two
deaths while Benue and
Bauchi state recorded
one death each.
From 1st January to
17th March, 2019, a total
of 1,801 suspected cases
have been reported, out
of whcih 495 were
confirmed positive, 15
probable and 1277
negative.
Since the onset of the
2019 outbreak, there
have been 114 deaths in
confirmed cases with
case fatality ratio in
confirmed cases is stood
at 23.0 percent.
Twenty-one States,
namely Edo, Ondo,
Bauchi, Nasarawa,
Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba,
FCT, Adamawa, Gombe,
Kaduna, Kwara, Benue,
Rivers, Kogi, Enugu,
Imo, Delta, Oyo, Kebbi
and Cross River have
recorded at least one
confirmed case across 73
Local Government Areas.
In the reporting week
11, one new health care
worker was affected in
Ebonyi state. A total of
sixteen health care
workers have been
infected since the onset
of the outbreak in seven
States
Edo recorded seven,
Ondo recorded three,
Ebonyi had two while
Enugu, Rivers, Bauchi,
and Benue recorded one
each with two deaths in
Enugu and Edo States.
Sixty-three (63)
patients are currently
being managed at
various treatment
centres across the
country.
Irrua Specialist
Teaching Hospital(ISTH)
treatment Centre (26),
Federal Medical Centre
Owo (16), Federal
Teaching Hospital
Abakaliki (10),
Nasarawa(1), Bauchi(1),
Plateau (3), Taraba (4)
and others(2).
Following the
*L-R: Principal Store Officer 1, Opeola Akinpelu; Medical Director, General Hospital,
Lagos Island; Dr. Ismail Ganikale; Project Coordinator, Health Portfolio, MTN
Foundation, Enyinnaya Nwokeocha and Chief Matron, General Hospital, Lagos Island,
Christiana Ogunde at the MTN Foundation’s donation of medical supplies to the
General Hospital, Lagos Island to aid treatment of victims of the collapsed building at
Ita-Faji, Lagos Island
increasing number of
Lassa fever cases
reported from several
States across the
country, NCDC has
reactivated its
Emergency Operations
Centre,EOC to
coordinate the response
TBy Naomi Uzor
HE Nigerian Medical
Association, NMA, has
urged Nigerians to adopt
health information
technology system in
driving health care delivery
in Nigeria.
Disclosing this at the March
Breakfast meeting of the
Nigerian-American
Chamber of Commerce
(NACC), tagged "
Improving Quality
Outcomes through Health
Information Technology",
the National President,
NMA, Dr. Francis Faduyile
said the introduction of the
usefulness of health
information technology
system in Nigeria's health
systems in medical
curricula at all levels is
important.
"There is need for
collaboration between
relevant agencies and
professional associations
such as information
technology, health and
NMA, PSN, NANNM and
other stakeholders to
ensure the full deployment
Media group tasks governors, stateelects
on diabetes control
EWLY elected
Ngovernors and state
By Gabriel Olawale legislators has been
admonished to prioritized
control of diabetes.
Diabetes Control Media
Advocacy Group
(DICOMAG), , a nongovernmental
organization, also called on
President Muhammadu
Buhari to, as a matter of
urgency, device concrete
measures to address the
current heavy burden of the
disease in all parts of the
country to prevent a
looming epidemic .
In a statement signed by
its Director of
Communication, Mrs
Yinka Shokunbi,
DICOMAG says it has
become necessary to draw
the attention of the public,
particularly the politicians,
to the alarming increase of
diabetes in Nigeria and its
attending complications
and deadly consequences.
This is because,
according to the
organization, no fewer
than 5 million Nigerians
are currently living with the
diabetes and like
elsewhere in the world the
number of cases is
increasing very fast. Citing
figures from the
International Diabetes
Federation (IDF) ,
Nigerians urged to adopt health
information technology
DICOMAG disclosed that
one in every two people
with diabetes in the country
is undiagnosed “which
means the current
estimated number of cases
could be double or even
more.
This is one health disaster
Nigeria cannot afford to
face as we inaugurate a
new government.
“IDF describes diabetes
mellitus as one of the
largest global health
emergencies of the 21st
century, largely because of
its severe and deadly
consequences.
This is a disease that
affects virtually all organs
of the body, resulting in
loss of vision, dental
problem, kidney failure,
cardiovascular disease,
lower limb amputation,
sexual dysfunction, among
others, when not properly
controlled – sadly a
situation faced by Nigerians
living with diabetes today.”
DICOMAG noted that
while the rapid increase of
diabetes cases is a global
phenomenon, especially in
the developing countries,
the difference however, is
that most countries are now
working relentlessly to
ensure it does not become
a major
Healing Stripes raises hope for patients of sickle cell, kidney
disease
By Gabriel Olawale
INLINE with its
commitment to bridge
medical tourism gap in the
country, Healing Stripes
Hospital, a Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR)
project of the City of David
Redeem Christian Church
of God (RCCG) has
acquired an apheresis
machine with the intent not
only to reduce medical
tourism but to provide
innovative care to patients.
The machine according to
the hospital's Consultant
Nephrologist, Debo
Akinwunmi, is very key and
efficient to the treatment of
several ailments in diverse
area of medicine like renal
issues, the hospital's main
focus, neurology (aspect of
brain and nerves) and also
haematology (blood related
diseases).
Apheresis he said is
medical technology that can
be used to remove
unwanted materials from
the blood without
tempering with other
constituents.
Akinwunmi explained
how the apheresis machine
aid in the treatment of sickle
cell to reduce the risks
associated with the genetic
condition citing that it can
be used to remove sickled
to the outbreak on behalf
of the Federal Ministry
of Health. The National
guidelines for Infection
Prevention and Control,
as well as Lassa fever
case management have
been developed,
disseminated to States
red cells and replace with
normal red cells to ease
crises and organ damage
in a procedure called
exchanged blood
transfusion, "it is not a cure
but gives relief for a long
time."
According to him, hither
to now patients were
referred to England to take
the produce and recently to
India, however the
aquisstion of the technical
device would reduce all the
risks associated with
traveling.
The Doctor in Charge, of
the hospital, Dr. Ezinne
Onyemere commended the
church for the aquisstion of
the machine saying it would
aid in providing advance
technology of choice and
precision to patients care.
She advanced that the
the machine has the ability
to perform 10 protocols,but
the hospital for now would
focus on three pressing
one's, ( therapeutic
apheresis, plasma and red
blood cell exchange).
Chairman, Board of
Directors, Healing Stripes
Hospital, Pastor Idowu
Iluyomade said that the
hospital offers
comprehensive kidney care
program with kidney
health awareness to
and are available on the
NCDC website for
download (http://
ncdc.gov.ng/diseases/
guidelines) or contacts
NCDC Toll-free Number:
0800-970000-10, SMS:
08099555577 or Twitter/
Facebook: @NCDCgov.
educate people on
prevention and enable
those with kidney disease
diagnose and plan
appropriate treatment.
"We hope to continually
work together to bring
quality and innovation to
of information technology
in the health sector in
Nigeria. We must
encourage local capacity
building in the deployment
of information technology
in the health sector. This
will enhance the
development access and
maintenance of the system"
he said.
He noted that the role of
private sector and agencies
such as NACC in funding
the advocacy, training of
health providers, the
deployment and
maintenance of information
technology systems in the
health sectors can not be
over emphasised.
"Today, Health Information
Management and
Technology (HIMT)
professionals must have a
deep understanding of not
only the management of
health data, but also the
software and systems
needed to manage and
analyze data. There are
many demerits of these
new technologies use in
health care deliveries, we
Patient Care in Nigeria.To
help streghten our Health
systems in the most
practical way."
must continue to ensure
patients confidentiality and
to properly guard the data"
he stated.
He said there is therefore
need to have a stringent
and detailed legislations to
control this very important
technological advancement
that is imminent in medical
practice here in Nigeria.
The President of NACC,
Otunba Oluwatoyin
Akomolafe said the topic
was significant in many
ways as it is becoming
increasingly clear that the
traditional way of solving
health problems is
becoming dated so there is
the need for quality
investment in information
technology in the health
care sector to improve
healthcare delivery.
"Effective use of
communication and
technology by health care
and public health
professionals can bring
about an age of patient- and
public-centered health
information and services in
Nigeria.