When Sale Abdullahi developed symptoms, including severe headache, nausea, fever and vomiting, on 25 February, he had a test for malaria and typhoid which came back positive.
"I battled with Lassa fever for good 29 days in all," he said, adding that he observed at the isolation centre that healthcare workers are especially susceptible due to the close contact they have with patients. According to the disease control centre, as of 28 April, a total of 32 healthcare workers have been affected by the rampaging disease in the current year, out of a total of 5,963 suspected cases, 857 confirmed cases, and 156 deaths.
Among 386 healthcare workers selected using a stratified random sampling technique, the study found that respondents who had previous training in IPC were 1.9 times more knowledgeable than others. Of the 400 healthcare workers who participated in the study, 51.8 per cent demonstrated inadequate Lassa Fever knowledge, with 62.9 per cent of those scoring low having a high self-perception of their Lassa fever knowledge on the global scale.
She was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit after she lost consciousness and had a blood transfusion. "They were able to take the sample of the patient before he later passed on and it was also positive for Lassa fever. I give glory to God that I am here and alive to share my story."Also in April 2022, Deborah Adekunle was diagnosed with Lassa fever at the Ondo State Infectious Disease Hospital , now Reference Hospital.
Ribavirin is an antiviral drug that has been used with success on Lassa fever patients and is administered for 10 days. "My wife is a food vendor who also came down with it, she suffered stigmatisation and it discouraged people from patronising her." Other symptoms include headache, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, sore throat, and, in severe cases, bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other body openings.
For instance in Bauchi, Mrs Suleiman and Mr Abdullahi observed that they had Lassa fever. However, the index of suspicion among healthcare workers was too low amidst late diagnosis due to the lack of a well-equipped laboratory at the hospitals.