An apparent outbreak of Lassa fever has resulted in the deaths of three personnel at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna. The Acting Commander of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps disclosed this information in a letter addressed to all Nigerian Army healthcare facilities and shared with Daily Trust in Kaduna.
According to the letter, the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of the hospital has recently lost three staff members and a patient, with others in critical condition, over the past 48 hours. These deaths are suspected to be linked to Acute Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF), which was possibly contracted from a patient who presented with a febrile illness about 10 days prior and subsequently passed away from the same suspected disease.
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The affected individuals exhibited common symptoms such as fever, alongside non-specific symptoms resembling malaria. However, the illness progressed with complications including abnormal liver function, acute kidney failure, encephalopathy, microangiopathy, and elevated D-Dimer levels, among others.
In response, the A&E Department has been temporarily closed for thorough disinfection, and samples have been collected from suspected contacts and deceased individuals for analysis at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) laboratory in Kano.
Meanwhile, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has instructed the State Ministry of Health to promptly investigate and confirm the situation at the 44 Army Reference Hospital following the alarming outbreak of Lassa fever at the facility.
