Even as Nigerian Health agencies battle with the entry of Coronavirus also known as COVID-19, the Lassa Fever virus has now been confirmed in five more local governments in Ondo State
Death count has risen from 22 to 41 in five weeks, the Ondo State Centre for Disease Control has confirmed.
The new local governments where the disease has been confirmed include: Ile Oluji/Okeigbo, Idanre, Ifedore, Akoko North East, and Ondo West local government areas.
The disease had earlier been reported in Owo, Ose, Akure North, Akoko South West and Akure South.
State Epidemiologist, Stephen Fagbemi, in a report on Saturday, stated that a total of 41 people have died of the disease so far in the state out of a total of 273 confirmed cases after suspected cases of 677.
Mr Fagbemi also lamented on the change of focus from Lassa fever to CoronaVirus, saying that the latter is yet to kill anyone in the country, while Lassa fever is still very much fatal in the country.
He said the analysis would show that there was still a lot to do in dealing with the Lassa virus, urging more focus in the eradication of the disease.
According to Mr Fagbemi, a total of 216 persons had been treated and discharged, while 27 persons were still on admission.
The Ondo State government is providing a subsidised treatment for the disease in the state, and had said it was spending a whopping N1.6 million in the treatment of a single patient.
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According to him, the deaths had resulted from late arrival at the treatment centre, after which the patients would have suffered a number of complications.
The Federal Medical Centre, Owo, provides the treatment centre for all cases in the state.
