- The eight suspected cases were among the 16 patients admitted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH
The Edo State Government said eight suspected cases of cholera disease have been recorded in the state.
The Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr Ojeifo Stephenson, disclosed this to newsmen at a press briefing in Benin City on Wednesday.
Stephenson said the eight suspected cases were among the 16 patients admitted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH.
According to him: “Last Thursday, we received an alert that there were some patients with suspected cases of cholera on admission at the hospital.
“In collaboration with the WHO team, we quickly mobilised our men to the hospital to investigate and see the condition of the patients and know what exactly to do as quickly as possible.
“Sixteen patients were admitted at the UBTH. We ran an RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Test) for all of them; while eight were not reactive, the other eight were positive.
“The next line is for us to collect samples from those eight that were reactive to the rapid diagnosis test. The samples have been sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for a confirmatory test.
“Until that result comes out and says it is positive, we won’t say that we have any positive cholera cases in Edo State.
“The good news is that from Thursday till now, all the patients have been discharged in UBTH except one still in the ward.”
He appealed to the people of the state not to panic, assuring that the state government was on top of the situation with the support of WHO staff in the state.
He also added that all those who were affected are under close monitoring, including all those who have come in contact with them.
The Director of Public Health also disclosed that a surveillance system has been activated for contact tracing and line listing.
He explained that those that the patients had contact with have been identified while community enlightenment has been carried out to know what they took before the incidents.
Stephenson, who urged members of the public to continue to maintain hygiene and a clean environment, advised them to report any suspected case to the nearest hospital or health facility close to them.
He also disclosed that 36 persons have died of Lassa fever in the state since the beginning of the year.
He said 226 cases of the diseases have been confirmed out of the 2,300 suspected cases recorded in the state.
He avowed that the state government has been mobilising to eradicate the causative rats to ensure a Lassa fever-free Edo State.