The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole on Saturday attributed the increasing number of Health worker getting infected with Lassa Fever to their refusal to take necessary precaution while treating patients in hospitals.
Adewole who stated this in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State when he paid a courtesy call on the state Governor, Chief David Umahi described the recent outbreak in the state which killed 4 Medical health workers as unfortunate. According to the Minister most doctors done treat the deadly disease as if if is any other ordinary disease and this fail to wear protective medical apparels while treating patients.
” What is worrisome is that when doctors and healthcare workers become infected then the country is in danger because everyone person that will go and meet that doctor or nurse is at risk” ‘
I want to say that up till today no health care worker has contacted Lassa at Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo state because if you take precaution, wear gloves before you take blood, wear gloves before you operate, you can’t catch Lassa fever”.
“Lass fever requires close contact between the blood of an infected person and healthcare workers looking out for him. Once you wear gloves, wear protective gown, you can’t have Lassa fever. but we have discovered is that Doctors and Nurses treat Lassa as if it is just ordinary flu or malaria, but it is not”, the Minister said.
He blamed the delay to fully equip the Virology Centre Abakaliki which was built and handed over to the federal government on outbreak of other deadly disease across the country to other pressing issues like monkey pox.
“It quite unfortunate that you handed the centre over to us but because of a few other things we could not respond immediately with the operationalization of the lab”.
“As we moved to operationalize the lab we had other challenges, we had monkey pox, we had meningitis and it appeared as if in trying to prioritize we thought lassa has calm down a bit, we decided to quickly address these diseases and also yellow fever outbreak”, he added.
Responding, Umahi represented by his Deputy, Kelechi Igwe said sixteen cases have been recorded in the state. “Nine cases have been confirmed, six are suspected cases, one is a probable index case. Eight of them are at the Virology Centre Abakaliki while one is in Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo state”
He noted that three of the confirmed cases have been successfully treated and discharged. He said the state is committed to improving the health of the people and promised that the state will continue to partner with the Federal Government in this regard.

Read More at: https://leadership.ng/2018/01/28/lassa-fever-health-minister-says-health-workers-cause-deaths/

I want to say that up till today no health care worker has contacted Lassa at Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo state because if you take precaution, wear gloves before you take blood, wear gloves before you operate, you can’t catch Lassa fever”.
“Lassa fever requires close contact between the blood of an infected person and healthcare workers looking out for him. Once you wear gloves, wear protective gown, you can’t have Lassa fever. but we have discovered is that Doctors and Nurses treat Lassa as if it is just ordinary flu or malaria, but it is not”, the Minister said.
He blamed the delay to fully equip the Virology Centre Abakaliki which was built and handed over to the federal government on outbreak of other deadly disease across the country to other pressing issues like monkey pox.
“It quite unfortunate that you handed the centre over to us but because of a few other things we could not respond immediately with the operationalization of the lab”.
“As we moved to operationalize the lab we had other challenges, we had monkey pox, we had meningitis and it appeared as if in trying to prioritize we thought lassa has calm down a bit, we decided to quickly address these diseases and also yellow fever outbreak”, he added.
Just imagine stupidity elevated to another unimaginable proportion by another daft appointee of the super-clueless government.
No even a word of condolence for the bereaved hospital community.So it's now the healthcare workers fault to contract Lassa Fever in the course of duty.
No wonder the so called Prof.ends up clueless like Buhari having served as ARD president during the first tyrannical rule of the dullard that he have to go on exile only for him to return to serve same man in a 21st.century world.

This is what a Nigerian health minister said about the tragic death of his professional colleagues who died in the course of their duty and upholding the Hippocratic oath they swore to save their patients lives!
The young house officer for example that tragically also died was virtually at the mercy of both his patient,who he had a duty of care for,and his supervisors,who could ironically also have refused signing him off,a prerequisite for full registration as a medical doctor,if he had refused that duty of care!!
Yet,a health minister,a medical doctor too,blames him and other lost doctors for their own death.Tragic!!!

Mr Minister sir, why didn't you inform the general public that you and your Chief Medical Directors across Nigeria have refused to provide us with hand gloves etc with which to work in the hospitals. health workers in most federal hospitals have to buy their own personal protective equipment to carry out their duties.