The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has briefed the House of Representatives’ joint Committees of Health institutions and Health care services on current status of the outbreak of Lassa fever in the country.
The briefing which took place at the National Assembly complex, was in response to the invitation extended to the Minister by the joint committees to intimate the house and place on record the Ministry’s preparedness to tackle the menace .
In his presentation, titled, ‘Laying the foundation for a multi –sectorial response to Lassa Fever’,Adewole explained that the disease had become endemic in the West African region. In view of this, the Minister said that the Federal Ministry of Health had inaugurated a ministerial Committee, comprising of Ministries of Information, Environment and Agriculture. More so, Professor. Adewole added that Lassa fever eradication committee and various sub-committees on Advocacy, Mapping, and Surveillance amongst others, had also been inaugurated.
The Minister also informed that the FMOH was ready to reactivate more laboratories, improve environmental sanitation and do away with the conspiracy of silence which he said was responsible for the high rate of mortality recorded by most communities who did not inform health care workers on time about the disease.
Responding, the Chairman of the joint committee, Hon. Chike John Okafor, said that the house was motivated to invite the minister for the briefing by the need to stop further spread and lost of lives because of the disease.
Hon. Okafor then commended the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) for not resting on its oars to put the disease at bay. He stated that he was optimistic that the Ministry was equal to the task as it is also getting Nigeria close to being certified by the WHO as a polio free nation.
