Lassa Fever Kills Mother And Her 2-Weeks-Old Child In Port Harcourt

A nursing mother and her two-week-old baby have died of Lassa fever in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Commissioner of Health, Dr. Theophilus Odagme, confirmed the development to newsmen on Monday evening.

Odagme stated: “First incident happened between December 30, 2015, and January 1, to a mother and later to her two weeks old child.

“At about 10:00 pm, I received a call that a mother and child died in a hospital following similar and serious fever which killed them and was suspected to be Lassa fever. After series of test conducted on them, it was confirmed they died of the disease.”

He also urged residents to maintain high sense of hygiene, identifying some of the symptoms of the ailment as high fever, vomiting, bleeding from the nose, mouth and anus.

Dr. Odagme advised members of the public to ensure their food and foodstuffs were properly covered to avoid contact with rodents.

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