The FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa-Bello, has declared that there was no confirmed case of Lassa fever in the territory.
Bello made the statement during an emergency meeting of medical experts and senior members of the FCT administration convened by the minister.
Chief Press Secretary to the minister, Mr Anthony Ogunleye, said this in a statement Tuesday in Abuja.
Bello said the aim of the meeting was to ascertain the status of the FCT following the outbreak of lassa fever in some neighboring states.
He also said the meeting was convened to assess the level of preparedness of the FCT health authorities to tackle a possible outbreak of the disease in the territory.
The minister said the FCT had good medical facilities, adding that an outbreak could be an indictment, especially if it was not effectively managed or curtailed.
Bello, who expressed relief that there was no known case of the disease in the FCT, urged medical experts to be prepared to forestall any outbreak, be it Lassa fever or the Coronavirus.
He also stressed the need for area council chairmen to be actively involved in the planning and execution of prevention and treatment programmes.
He said a possible outbreak will most likely impact more at the area councils.
He urged the experts to synergize efforts for optimum results and called on residents to take all necessary preventive measures to avoid contracting the deadly disease.
Similarly, the minister enjoined health workers in the FCT to follow all protection protocols to avoid getting infected.
Musa-Bello directed the release of additional vehicles for the use of the department of public health for the purpose of the Lassa fever prevention campaign.
He also directed all stakeholders to hold regular meetings “even when there are no visible threats so as to perfect plans for a foolproof mechanism to handle the breakout of any infectious disease. (NAN)
