Gastroenteritis is caused
by micro-organisms like those causing typhoid fever, cholera and certain
viruses. It can be contacted by eating or drinking contaminated foods such as
uncooked seafood.
The Lagos State Government
has confirmed that the outbreak of Gastroenteritis has killed 11 people in the
state while 370 others saved from death.
Patients with
gastroenteritis present with severe acute watery diarrhea and profuse vomiting.
Those infected with micro-organisms causing the disease shows signs and
symptoms within 12 hours to one week after ingesting contaminated food or
water. The disease affects both children and adult and can kill within hours if
untreated.
Commissioner for Heath,
Prof. Akin Abayomi in a statement on Friday disclosed that 400 cases of the
disease had been recorded in some Local Government Areas of the state, with 370
cases treated and discharged, saying there was no cause for alarm as government
was on top of the situation.
“As at today, 400 cases of
gastroenteritis have been recorded in health facilities in the affected LGAS.
370 of these cases have been treated and discharged. Unfortunately, we have
also recorded 11 deaths due to the outbreak. The increase in number of cases of
gastroenteritis is not unconnected with persistent rain with flooding of some
LGAs in the State,” he said.
The commissioner also said
the attention of the government had been drawn to some misleading, alarming and
sensational reports, especially on some social media platforms about the
outbreak of Gastroenteritis that was experienced in the State in the past
weeks.
He said of great concern
was a voice note currently circulating on Whatsapp which emanated from an
unidentified individual purportedly linked to one of its health facilities
misinforming the public about the alarming deaths rate occasioned by the
disease, thus creating fear.
“This, we believe is the
handiwork of mischief makers with an intent to deliberately cause panic amongst
the populace While we appeal for calm, it is pertinent to note that these
misleading reports are made up, spurious, incorrect and do not represent fact.
Citizens are hereby advised to disregard any news about the disease that did
not emanate from the official communication channels of the Lagos State
Government, the Ministry of Health or it officials.
“It is true that an excess
increase in the cases of Gastroenteritis was reported in some local government
areas (LGAs) particularly in Lagos Island, Surulere, Mushin and Ajeromi since
mid-October. This is now under control as a result of the policies and
interventions that we have put in place and I want to assure you that we are on
top of the situation,” he stated.
According to Abayomi,
following the report of the outbreak, Rapid Response Teams at the affected LGAs
led by the Medical Officers of Health were activated, stool specimen were
collected for laboratory test to confirm the micro-organism causing the
vomiting and diarrhea while surveillance had also been scaled up in communities
within the affected LGAs to stop the spread of the infection.
“We have been able to send
some samples to our laboratories and some of those samples tested positive for
a type of cholera but we are not sure whether cholera is responsible for the
entire outbreak of diarrhea and vomiting but we are sending some other samples
to other laboratories and we are going to do some in-depth analysis to see
whether this is just a case of cholera or whether there are other pathogens or
agents that are contributing to this outbreak
“We have been very
proactive in our response and management of the excess cases of vomiting and
diarrhea occasioned by the outbreak. As part of our response, we have activated
an emergency operation centre (EOC) which is a command and control centre so
that we can fine tune logistics and resources around our response against the
outbreak,” he added.
Abayomi said since the
activation, the EOC which is made up of representatives from the Ministry of
Health, Primary Health Care Board, Health Service Commission, Lagos State
Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), World Health Organization and Central
Public Health Laboratory among others had been meeting on a daily basis;
collating results, reviewing plans and interventions as well as suggesting and
coordinating the implementation of measures to effectively curtail the spread
of the disease and manage future occurrences promptly and effectively.
“The EOC is made up of sub
thematic areas of research, surveillance, case management and infection
control, laboratory, communication and advocacy, pharmacy, security as well as
logistics and data management. Also, our disease surveillance officers at the
State and local government levels are currently carrying out intensive
surveillance to stop the spread of the disease.
“We have also put in place
and still carrying out some measures and specific action plans like upgrade of
infrastructure in our health facilities especially the PHC level; recruitment
of more health workers; increasing the supply of drugs and consumables to
health facilities; continuous clearing of drains and improving the supply of
clean and portable water to residents, so that in the future, when we have this
climatic situation where there are excessive rains, we should be in better
position to respond very quickly even in a very more efficacious way.
“Although, Lagos is prone
to seasonal infectious diseases like gastroenteritis because of its demography
and low line megacity nature, we will however not relent in our effort to respond
to any water born or airborne outbreaks that may happen in our State whilst
ensuring that citizens remain safe and healthy,” he said.
Abayomi advised members of
the public to take precautionary measures by paying due attention to personal
hygiene and environmental sanitation by keeping their environment clean,
avoiding open defecation, ensuring drains are clean and imbibe the culture of
regular hand washing.
He encouraged Lagosians to
wash their hands with soaps and water frequently and thoroughly, and also boil
their water before drinking, especially if the source was in doubts, adding
that “wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating; cook food thoroughly
and dispose waste material properly. You are advised to visit nearest health
facilities early when you are sick and avoid going to work or school where you
are likely to infect others.
“Health workers are also
advised to take universal safety precautions when dealing with patients,
practice good hand washing techniques and report any alarming increase in cases
of gastroenteritis-vomiting and diarrhea to the Medical Officer of Health in
their local government or the Directorate of Disease Control.
“For reports, clarification
and more information on the outbreak of gastroenteritis, citizens and health
workers can contact the Directorate of Disease Control through these lines:
08023169485 and 08023608195.”
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