The David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital Uburu, has organized a one-day sensitization workshop on lassa fever to acquaint staff with routine infection prevention measures against the virus.

The programme which was executed through the Department of Community Medicine, x-rayed the origin, spread, symptoms, and treatment options.

In a presentation, the Head Of Department Community Medicine in the hospital, Dr Francis Onwe said about 300,000 to 500,000 infections of Lassa fever occur annually in Africa with over 5,000 deaths while 80 percent of the cases are asymptomatic.

According to him, 22 states in Nigeria have recorded at least one confirmed case across 88 local government areas since the beginning of the year while Ebonyi has 104 cases and 14 deaths.

Dr Onwe who stated that death usually occurs 14 days of onset in fatal cases said the incubation period for the virus was between 6 to 21 days and urged everyone to be wary of foods or household items contaminated by rodents.

The Chairman Medical Advisory Committee of DUFUTH, Dr Ehidiamhen Felix, outlined the various proactive measures taken by the hospital from the onset in preventing an outbreak of the disease which included stockpiling of ribavirin, an antiviral drug for treatment of lassa fever.

He clarified that the idea behind scrubs for clinical departments in the hospital was to have a protective clothing that keeps cross contamination to a minimum.

The C-MAC said the advocacy was to arm the staff with necessary information to combat the disease and not to scare them, especially given the endemic nature of the state.

Dr Peter Elom of the Community Medicine department also spoke on 'Infection Prevention and Control', citing hand hygiene and PPE as some of the evidence based approach designed by the World Health Organisation to prevent lassa fever transmission.

The event which had representatives of the World Health Organisation, also drilled participants on standard globally acceptable hand washing protocols.