The Kano Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) has confirmed one death and two active cases of Lassa fever in Kano State.
The Director-General of the centre, Prof. Mohammed Adamu Abbas, disclosed this on Monday during a press conference in Kano.
Prof. Abbas said “The deceased was a staff member of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).” At the same time, the two infected persons are a medical doctor and another woman who had contact with the victim.
He explained that the victim, a French national, developed symptoms shortly after arriving in Nigeria.
“On January 28, a white woman from France, who works with Médecins Sans Frontières, came down with fever about one week after her arrival, Prof. Adamu said.
He said she first visited a hospital for treatment, but her condition worsened after a few days.
According to him, when she later returned to another health facility with signs of severe illness, she died the same day.
The body was moved to the mortuary at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), where samples were taken and sent for laboratory tests.
“The result confirmed that she tested positive for Lassa fever,” Mr Adamu said.
Following the confirmation, the disease control agency activated emergency contact tracing.
He said a doctor from Minjibir and another woman, who both had contact with the deceased, were later confirmed to be infected.
The two infected persons, he added, had contact with 62 people across five local government areas in the state.
Out of the 62 contacts, the agency identified 25 people as high-risk and collected their blood samples.
“Out of the 25 samples taken, 22 tested negative, while three tested positive. One of them is the deceased, while the remaining two are currently in isolation,” he said.
Prof. Abbas explained that the female patient is receiving treatment at AKTH, while the male patient, a doctor from Minjibir, has been transferred to the Yargaya Isolation Centre.
He said the situation had been brought under control through rapid response and monitoring.
“We have deployed our personnel to intensify public enlightenment in Minjibir to sensitise residents on the disease,” he said.
He added that the Kano State Ministry of Environment would also be invited to fumigate affected and suspected areas.
“All suspected areas must be fumigated to flush out rats, which are the major carriers of the disease, to prevent further spread,” he said.
Lassa fever is a viral disease commonly spread through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents, and health authorities advise residents to maintain proper hygiene and seek medical care early when symptoms appear.
