Lassa fever: NCDC orders healthcare workers to take standard IPC measures

Lassa fever: NCDC orders healthcare workers to take standard IPC measures

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has directed healthcare workers to implement the standard Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures to check the spread of Lassa fever in the country.

The agency’s Director General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, announced this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja.

Adetifa, who described IPC as an essential and integral aspect of the clinical management of Lassa fever, stressed that “all healthcare workers should have high index of suspicion for Lassa Fever in individuals who have not responded to standard anti-malaria treatment”.

 He added that the suspicion should also apply to resistance of treatment for other common infectious diseases within 48-72 hours.

The director general said immediate nationwide diagnosis of samples testing laboratories was ongoing.

Adetifa said reports from the preparedness survey in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were shared to assess readiness.

He added: “The responses will facilitate the hosting of the first Lassa fever webinar in 2024, focusing on Empowering Communities to Combat Lassa Fever.”

 The NCDC boss said there was a meeting with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) aimed at enhancing research during outbreaks and peacetime.

 An off-site support on IPC and safe burials was provided to affected states, he noted.

 But Adetifa noted that challenges persisted, including late case presentations.

 He said: “Poor health-seeking behaviour, driven by high cost of treatment and inadequate environmental sanitatary conditions in high-burden communities, are notable concerns.

 “Moreover, there’s lack of awareness in communities, posing additional challenges to effective response measures.”