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Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
The Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AE-FUTH), Ebonyi State, has recorded 81 new cases of lassa fever between January and March.
Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Emeka Onwe Ogah, stated this while inaugurating a Lassa Fever Caretaker Centre built and donated by Médecins Sans Frontières(MSF) also known as Doctors Without Borders.
Ogah said the situation was getting out of hand because of lack of equipment needed in treating the virus.
“Some people don’t know that there is an outbreak of lassa fever in Ebonyi State. If you go to town and talk of lassa fever, they will doubt what you are saying. They will ask is it still in existence? As at three days ago, the total number confirmed from January was 81. Some people now sacrifice their time and money to pay for every patient; whatever thing that patient has enjoyed here. At times, they will even buy coffin for the burial of those that died. If people will leave the comfort of their home to come and save us, it is something we have to reflect on and rethink on what we will give to the society.
“We have the manpower, but lacking the machine or equipment to work. There are other things that if we have here, I think we will have better outcome. In the room for the dialysis the space is very small and very inconveniencing. We need things like ventilator, more dialysis machine, table ultra-sound, mobile x-ray. We will be very pleased if such things are factored in and MSF come to our rescue. Those things will help us to improve lives,” Ogah said.
Meanwhile, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra and the Biafra Independent Movement(MASSOB/BIM), yesterday, condemned the crisis between the people of Amana in Ezza South Local Government Area and their neighbours in Ohankwu in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State which has led to the death of several persons.
The Biafran groups while condemning the killings called for calm and urged Ebonyi State government to take immediate actions to resolve the crisis and forestall further bloodshed between the warring communities.
Daily Sun gathered that the crisis started from a struggle for ownership of a parcel of land at the boundary between the two communities and later snowballed into killings and destruction of properties
