Dirty Environment Responsible for Lassa Fever Spread, Says Adewole

• Gov Ganduje allocates 30% of Kano budget to rehabilitation of health facilities

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has blamed unhygienic attitude and dirty environment for the re- emergence of the deadly Lassa fever disease which has killed over 100 people within two months of 2018 in some parts of the country.

Adewole stated this in Abuja at DAI’s Governance Roundtable on the role of Nigeria in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with special focus on Education and Health.

The Development Alternatives, DAI, a Non-Governmental Organisation committed to supporting a more prosperous, healthier and well governed Nigeria.

But the Minister, who decried the high level of un-cleanliness practised by Nigerians however, noted that Lassa fever can be treated if dictated on time through prompt medical checkup.

“Lassa fever is a disease of the environment. When you live in a dirty environment, rodents will come in. It is entirely a disease that should stay within the animals. It is worrisome that in the last two years, we have recorded the outbreak of Lassa fever all the year round,” he said.

Adewole lamented that more doctors are employed in federal hospitals than the state owned hospitals and called for the rehabilitation of primary healthcare to take care of minor disease.

He said that medical centres are meant to handle complex cases and further appealed for synergy between the federal and state governments to enable the skilled manpower in FG facilities render services in state health facilities.
“Medical Centres are meant to handle complex diseases like cancer, kidneys and other serious problems. There is need to go back to the drawing board, train people for the community,” he stressed.

Also speaking, his Kano State counterpart Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, disclosed that 30% of his state budget has been devoted to the rehabilitation of health facilities in the state. Ganduje added that the state has so far provided and equipped about 150 health facilities in the state.