Lagosians Panic As Rabies Kill 2 People
Panic has gripped residents of Lagos over deaths of two people killed by rabies in Ikorodu and Ajara areas of the state.
The new cases that occurred in Igbogbo, Ikorodu and Ajara, Badagry axis which many residents described as one too many came on the heels of the death a five-year-old Aliyah Masaku, who was recently attacked by three dogs in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
The residents who reacted to the development urged the Lagos State Government to enforce its environmental laws to stop indiscriminate rearing of dogs in the metropolis by residents.
Confirming that two people have died of rabies in the state, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, said the two persons who died were admitted in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, with the first person, a 49 year old man, died on March 8, while the second person a 33 year old man, died on March 13.
According to Idris, the 49 year old man, living in Igbogbo, was bitten by his three months old dog, which was earlier bitten by a new dog he bought six weeks before the incident.
He added that the two dogs were observed to be behaving abnormally and then killed, while the patient who was admitted on March 8, 2017, died within a few hours of admission.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the second incident, the patient came to LUTH on March 9, and was said to have been bitten by a dog six months before.
“The patient was given anti tetanus after the bite and the dog was killed. The patient died on March 13, 2017.”
The state government also said that Queens College should not resume till appropriate measures have been put in place for the safety of students.
Idris said that after the cholera outbreak, a joint team of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and LUTH investigated the incidence.
“Available health records from sick bay indicated that the date of onset of illness was 16th January 2017. The total number of students presented at the clinic on account of abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea was 1222 from the date of presentation to the last date of presentation.
“There were four different peak periods of infection with the highest peak was 31st January 2017. 16 ill cases were admitted in various hospitals. 9 have been discharged, two died while one is still on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of LASUTH and three in LUTH.”
He disclosed that water samples from 6 sources in the school premises were collected and analysed at Drug Quality Control Laboratory of Lagos State Ministry of Health at LASUTH, Ikeja, with another set of water samples from 10 sources were collected and analysed at the Microbiology Department of LUTH, Idi-Araba.
“The results from the two laboratories showed high bacteria content in the water samples from the kitchen, behind dining hall and Queen’s delight, the school water factory.”
He also revealed that the stool specimens collected from 40 kitchen staff and findings from the investigation were consistent with enteric fever with the infection was most likely spread through contaminated water sources and infection by food handlers.
The state government implored the citizens to follow the general health promotion and disease prevention measures, especially basic environmental sanitation, regular hand washing with soap and water, maintaining personal hygiene, adequate nutrition.
