Patients Flee Delta Hospital As Another Lassa Fever Patient Dies

From Ochei Matthew, Asaba
Patients at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba, Delta State on Friday took to their heels when another patient suffering from Lassa fever died at the emergence wards of the hospital.
The Lassa fever patient died at about 2pm and health personnel wearing protective gears rallied to remove the remains from the wards.
The patients and their relations were seen running to the hospital gate to avoid contacting the dreaded disease but later returned to their wards, after over 20 minutes of running away. Medical face masks were later shared among the patients and others to cover their nostrils.

Confirming the incident, a top hospital management who pleaded anonymity told The Dream Daily that he could not speak further on the matter, saying only the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge, could speak more on the development.
But patients at the FMC lamented the increased risk of staying at the hospital, and especially told The Dream Daily of their fear of contracting Lassa fever.
Effort made to reach Azinge to ascertain if the deceased was among the 22 quarantined patients in the state proved abortive as phone calls and text messages to his line were neither picked nor returned.