A medical doctor, Samuel Tagher Nyityo, has reportedly died of Lassa fever with two other persons currently hospitalised.
Dr. Nyityo is a World Health Organisation (WHO) staff working in Benue state.
Blueprint learnt that the late doctor along with another patient, who were admitted at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) were referred to Irrua Specialists Hospital in Edo state where the doctor died.
Benue state Commissioner for Health and Human Service, Dr. Joseph Gbea, who confirmed the incident, said the third patient is currently receiving treatment at BSUTH and in stable condition.
A source, who spoke with newsmen on phone at the hospital but pleaded anonymity, however, said, “we lost a colleague (Dr Samuel Tagher Nyityo) on 09/01/2022, and I also lost 2 patients last week.
“One ate rat and took ill. I’m currently taking prophylaxis (ribavirin) and isolating because I nursed 2 out of the 3 people who died.”
But in an interview with journalists Monday in Makurdi, the Commissioner for Health said only Dr. Nyityo died.
“Nobody is in critical position, the other one person is in a stable condition and the other was referred to Irrua Hospital with the late doctor.
“Before the diagnosis of the Lassa fever, the governor through the ministry had released money to ensure that it is contained and even after the diagnosis, we made sure they were put in isolation center.
“He went to WHO to take over the payment but they said no. We have released money for the purchase of drugs worth N600,000 to be given to anybody who contact the disease and to ensure that anybody who contact the disease should be taken to the Teaching Hospital within 20 minutes.
The commissioner further said, “for Lassa fever, the vector is rat. For the doctor, we discovered that last year, two people had Lassa fever in his compound. This means that there is the specie of rat that moves around in that area, that perches on people’s food.
“So people should stop the idea of keeping food outside on the ground and people should be discouraged from eating rat.”
