Lassa fever: Minister directs EHCON to provide capacity building for environment health professionals

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The State Minister of Environment, Dr Ishaq Salako, has directed Environmental Health Council of Nigeria(EHCON), to provide capacity building for Environmental Health professionals in the country on the application of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the mitigation and control of Lassa Fever and other emerging and re-emerging diseases.
He made the disclosure yesterday during an update on environmental health pillar towards mitigation , prevention and control of Lassa fever in the country.
It would be recalled that on the 21st and 24th of February 2023, there was a reported outbreak of Lassa fever at 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna state, where five deaths were recorded.
“2 of the suspected cases originated from another facility, the Barau Dikko Hospital, and 92 persons are currently under surveillance as contact persons”.
Salako represented by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mahmud Kambari,said to combat the outbreak, the federal ministry of environment has implemented interventions under the Environmental Health pillar.
He said such interventions included dispatch of vector wax block rodenticide rodenticide to Kaduna for massive deratization of suspected facilities.
“Activation of all Environmental Health personnel in the state for surveillance, to identify rat infestations in communities, districts, and wards, and report such cases for treatment/abatement”
Others are : The compliance of all health facilities, education facilities, hotels, restaurants, recreation facilities, markets, motor parks, and other public facilities in the state with the massive deratization exercise as a matter of regulation among others .
The Minster revealed that his ministry plans to launch a national deratization framework exercise to minimize occurrence of the disease in states that experience consistent annual outbreaks during December to March season.
Also speaking, the Registrar of EHCON, Dr Yakubu Baba, said his agency and Environmental Health authorities as directed will issue deratization certificates or exemptions to those facilities to prevent the spread of the disease.
He said “The Hon Minister has also challenged Environmental Health specialists in academia to conduct research and develop new innovations that will address the challenges associated with the disease”.