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| The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris |
Remember the children that died mysteriously in Lekki,well the Lagos State Commissioner for Health,
Dr. Jide Idris, has identified febrile rash illness as the probable
cause of death of 25 children in Otodo Gbame community in Eti-osa Local
Government Area of the state.
Idris, who disclosed this at a press
conference in Lagos on Friday, said the cause of death had yet to be
confirmed as the government was still expecting results of the blood and
water samples sent to the Virology Reference Laboratory at the Lagos
University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba and the Lagos State Drug Quality
Control Laboratory, Ikeja respectively.
He, however, noted that preliminary investigations suggest that the children might have died of febrile rash illness.
He explained that the information gathered by the ministry stated that about 24 of the 34 children died of the disease.
Idris said, “The ministry drew up a plan
to investigate the outbreak, verify reported deaths and report findings
and recommendations. The disease causing the outbreak has yet to be
confirmed. However, the signs and symptoms are suggestive of febrile
rash illnesses. We are awaiting the results from the two laboratories.
“We have notified the World Health
Organisation and the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja and a team of
epidemiologists have done investigations and appropriate measures have
been instituted to prevent further spread of the disease.”
The commissioner said that the ministry
would dialogue with residents of the community to build confidence and
guarantee the safety of their children by providing a befitting health
centre.
Idris also urged Lagos residents to immunise their children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
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