By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Ministry of Health says it's investigating the causes of deaths of eight people across the country from Lassa Fever this year alone.
A team of surveillance officers from the Directorate of Health Security and Emergency in Freetown is in Kenema District this week as part of a fact finding mission.
Lassa fever is a hemorrhagic fever disease, one of the oldest and most deadly illnesses most prevalent in West Africa.
In Sierra Leone the disease had been known to be prevalent in the eastern region, particularly Kenema District. But the Health Ministry says recent studies have indicated that it is present elsewhere across the country.
Officials say of the eight deaths recorded in the last seven months (January to July), five were in Kenema alone.
The ministry says it is engaging district stakeholders to ascertain the cause of the high death rate and discuss a way to prevent the spread of the virus.
On Monday a session was convened for health workers, civil society and religious leaders at Apex Bank on Blama Road in Kenema Town.
According to Charles Keimbe, the National Surveillance Officer, the eight deaths were recorded in a total of three districts: Kenema, Kono (1) and Tonkolili (2).
“The essence of this engagement is to know the root causes of those deaths,” he said.
“It’s important to ascertain what led to the death of those Lassa patients, either late referral or the patients are the contributing factors,” he added.
Keimbe told the audience that getting firsthand information from the health workers will enable the Ministry to plan well against Lassa.
“We want to see what went wrong; is it case management on the side of the medics or community issue?” he added.
The Lassa virus is transmitted by a species of rat to humans. Experts say it is transmitted through urine of the animal when it contaminates food or by touching the dead animal. It can also be transmitted from humans to humans.
Like all viral hemorrhagic fever diseases, a common symptom of Lassa Fever is fever.
Sierra Leone has one of the most sophisticated laboratories equipped to test for Lassa Fever in the sub region, and it is based in Kenema. The Health Ministry says the plan is to improve on the response efforts of health authorities in the district.
Surveillance officer Emurana Conteh gave a historical background of the virus and the role Kenema has played in the global response to the disease.
“Kenema is the reference point for Lassa in this country and no one can do a proper research on the viral disease without mentioning Kenema district,” he said.
He also said that about 80% of Lassa patients are asymptomatic, noting that only about 10% to 15% show symptoms.
Conteh said delay in seeking treatment leads to death.
“There is a need for the promotion of good community hygiene practices as one way to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said, emphasizing on the need to properly taking care of food and drinking water.
Surveillance Officer at the District Health Management Team (DHMT) of Kenema, Mohamed Koroma, said knowledge sharing on Lassa is vital in planning and to protect the community. He also said that the five deaths recorded in the district was a “serious concern” for the DHMT, hence the importance they attach to the engagement for a solution.
Section chief of Nongowa Chiefdom, Soko Musa, told the delegation that as traditional authorities they were more concerned about Lassa Fever.
”Lassa kills more than Coronavirus and it’s a threat to us,” he said, while committing their support to the health ministry as part of the response effort.
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