The Federal Medical Center Yola (FMC) has denied the rumoured outbreak of Lassa fever in the hospital.
Speaking to journalists at the hospital the Head of Clinical Services Department Dr. Joel Yohanna said the hospital is in top gear and ready to handle any case available.
While giving an insight into the situation Dr. Yohanna said a patient who came from Taraba state through Peace hospital in Jimeta was admitted in the hospital for four days and he later died but before his death he was already quarantined in a separate ward which was exclusively selected since the time of Ebola fears and was treated before his death, and he was later discovered to have Lassa fever.
He said no medical doctors or nurses are affected as they had protective gear during the treatment of the patient who died after four days in the hospital.
Dr. Joel Yohanna pointed out that the rumour about an outbreak was unfounded and baseless as the hospital is safe.
He said, “The hospital is safe and there is no Lassa fever anywhere because when the patient was referred from Peace Hospital Jimeta, to the FMC we had to quarantine him before his eventual death”
“We had also contacted the patient family and his mother In-law who was also taken to the hospital and quarantined separated and all medical staff who treated her use World standard face and hands gear to avoid contact”.
Dr. Joel Yohanna revealed that the Federal Medical Center Yola was safe for patients and clinical services at the hospital have remained one of the best in the North East and he assured the people not to panic because there is no Lassa fever in Adamawa State so far even the case of the dead patient came from Taraba State.
He said: “We have kept the hospital under medical alertness while services are optimum in case of any outbreak and the staff are fully mobilized twenty four hours for any eventuality that may occur and we have the best medical staff on ground to handle any case that may come to our attention”
The hospital management said any case of suspected fever they don’t put the patient in an open ward but in an exclusive place where experts will attend to the patients.
By Comrade Barnabas Manyam, Yola.