Lassa fever kills 1, 2 quarantined to prevent spread

An outbreak of Lassa fever has killed one person in Taraba State, the state government says.

Two other persons in the state have been quarantined to prevent a further spread of the disease.

This was disclosed by Commissioner of Health, Innocent Vakkai, who confirmed the outbreak.

“One person died and two others quarantined and their blood samples have already been taken to Irrua Specialists’ Hospital in Edo State for further confirmation,” Vakkai said.

“People usually get infected with the Lassa Virus after exposure to infected rodents, while person to person transmission occurs through direct contact with the sick person,” he added.

Vakkai urged residents to avoid contact with rats in the affected areas and report any cases of nasal and anal bleeding to the nearest hospital.