By Alaba-Olusola Oke
Owo (Ondo State) – Dr Ahmed Adeagbo, Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo, Ondo State, has called for more interventions in curbing the spread and the treatment of Lassa Fever at the medical centre’s isolation facility.
Adeagbo, who made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Owo, described Lassa fever as a public concern that should be tackled seriously.
“I must say that it is not easy now. Apart from that, Lassa Fever is an infectious disease that can spread to anywhere. It is a great public concern.
“This isolation centre is a result of every other things put together.
“For instance, we have people that go into the community telling them that this disease exists and that this is how you will do and other things. And we have some of them that take care of the patients to the end point,” he said.
Adeagbo stated that burying Lassa fever victims would take careful processes.
“Even to bury those that die, it is not that you just push them aside the grave. No! There are processes. We have a committee on that.
“The way they dig their grave and other things, and even the way you handle their waste, is very different. So, we need a lot of help,” he said.
The chief medical director expressed appreciation to the various stakeholders that had intervened in addressing the disease in the state.
“We must say thank the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC), it has done a lot, the Federal Ministry of Health has been helping. The state government is also involved. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) is giving us technical support.
“We also collaborate with some NGOs like Alliance for International Medical Centre and others, but we need more because when you talk of diesel, apart from other places, we must have electricity supply 24-hour.
“That is why we treat those patients here free, including feeding.
“So, it is a lot on us and we need more interventions in terms of being able to take care of them,” he said. (NAN)
