No fewer than 76 suspected Lassa fever cases and six deaths had been recorded in a new outbreak in the Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Officials of the Kaltungo LGA confirmed that the outbreak occurred at an almajiri school in Dogon Ruwa ward of the LGA.
The Coordinator of Primary Health Care in Kaltungo LG, Comfort Dalami, disclosed this during an advocacy visit by a team of the Gombe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency to the palace of Mai Kaltungo, Sale Mohammed.
According to her, it started when five students of the almajiri school became ill and were taken to a hospital.
She said, “At first, they were suspected to be suffering from meningitis, but when their samples were taken and examined, it was confirmed to be Lassa fever.
“The five suspected cases were confirmed dead while their teacher, who was catering for them, also fell ill after their death on Sunday; it was confirmed that the teacher also tested positive to Lassa fever and later died that same day.”
Dalami explained that the team had embarked on a sensitisation programme in the community while the team of state epidemiologists had also embarked on tracing suspected cases and those who came in contact with the confirmed cases in the Dogon Ruwa community.
She added that an isolation centre had been established to treat confirmed and suspected cases in the area.
The coordinator stated, “One confirmed case is currently receiving treatment and the samples of 76 other suspected cases have been sent for confirmation.”