Abuja Hospital dismisses Lassa fever outbreak

Dr Afiomah Uche, the Medical Director of Asokoro District Hospital, FCT, has dismissed speculations of suspected cases of Lassa fever in the hospital, describing the rumour as “baseless, unfounded and dangerous’’.

Uche said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the message currently going around on social media was an old untrue message of over a year ago.

It, therefore, called on the public not to panic as the Federal Capital Territory Public Health Department had put adequate measures in place to manage such challenges.

The national response of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is also in place to checkmate such outbreak of the fever, the statement added.

It was gathered that most residents of Abuja had been in the panic mood since they got information on social media suggesting an outbreak of Lassa fever in Asokoro hospital.

The message purportedly emanated from one Dr Bewaji whose other identity could not be verified.

The message read: “Please there is suspected case of Lassa fever in Asokoro District Hospital now, nobody should come to the accident and emergency unit of the hospital.’’

According to the trending message, the “disease is deadly, we lost two nurses and a doctor already, it is serious; please don’t go near anyone with a fever.

“Don’t go near any hospital premises, for now, Lassa fever is real and killing people fast, please pass it round’’.

The hospital, however, called on the residents to discountenance such message and visit the hospital when the need arises.

(NAN)