Dr. Dominic Ukpong, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, on Monday said two suspected cases of Lassa fever were recorded in the state.
Ukpong made the disclosure at the inauguration of a taskforce on the eradication of Lassa fever in Akwa Ibom State in Uyo.
According to him, one of the suspected victims absconded, while the second case happened to be a person under treatment for HIV.
Ukpong urged the people of Akwa Ibom State to improve on their sanitary conditions to eliminate the disease from the state.
He added that since the state had been identified among the 20 states with the pandemics, people must observe things that were required to end the disease.
The commissioner, however, confirmed that a third person, a 53-year-old woman who sold crayfish, had died of the fever.
He said: “As I am talking to you, Akwa Ibom has two suspected cases and one confirmed case and the victim is now late.
“The confirmed case, a 53-year-old woman, who used to sell crayfish, had died.
“Her test result came out after she had died.
“One of the persons with suspected case has absconded.
“The third case is someone that has been under treatment for HIV.
“This shows how serious this problem has become in the state.
“We are worried because of the fact that during the Christmas period, the 53-year-old woman got in contact with some of her family members and some of them had already travelled back to other states before she took ill on January 5 and then went to a private hospital where she was attended to.
“The doctors suspected at the private clinic that it was a bigger health issue and referred her to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
“She was isolated and she eventually died but her test result that she had Lassa fever only came out after she died.
“So, we have a situation here that should concern all of us.
“And we are also going to trace those that she had contact with in the hospitals and the mortuary workers.
“It is a big problem and I want to appeal to health workers that we must get every detail on every patient.”
The commissioner then warned health workers to always protect themselves against infectious diseases.
Ukpong also warned indigenes and residents against eating any rat meat, irrespective of type and to ensure proper storage of food items, as well as dispose garbage far away from their houses in order not to attract rats into the houses.
