FG directs families on how to bury dead victims

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Abdusalam Nasidi, has announced that families who lost loved ones will be allowed to bury them.

He also said to curb the spread of the disease, family members should disinfect the bodies, wrap them in body bags, and bury them in graves that have been dug deep.

Nasidi said “Families will not be denied the bodies of their deceased relatines because there must be respect for religious and cultural beliefs. The real problem is that the culture of some people to wash dead bodies before burial. However, we warn against contact with the bodies as a bid towards curtailing the virus.

“Relatives will have to ensure that the bodies of the deceased are disinfected with chlorine and it is recommend that the bodies should be packaged in double body bags. We also advise that graves must be dug very deep.”

As a result of over 50 deaths recorded due to the Lassa Fever disease, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has declared the outbreak a national epidemic.

Also, the Ekiti state commissioner for health, Dr. Olurotimi Ojo, yesterday, Tuesday, January 19, 2016, announced that a nursing student at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, tested positive to Lassa Fever

A fresh case of the disease was also confirmed in Delta state yesterday.

Stay up to date with latest developments relating to the Lassa fever outbreak and other news updates by following the Pulse news thread.