Some survivors of Lassa fever in Bauchi State have embarked on public sensitisation activities to create awareness of the disease.
The survivors recovered after their treatment of the disease at the Lassa Treatment Centre (LTC), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBU-TH), Bauchi.
One of the survivors, Abubakar Hassan, said that he engaged in community health promotion to create awareness on the disease and to encourage early presentation in health facilities.
Hassan, 22, said this during an engagement with a medical team of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Wednesday in Bauchi.
He said the LTC centre provided prompt care to patients as well as trained them on prevention, control, and safety to safeguard public health.
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According to Hassan, public sensitisation against the disease is a collective responsibility, and early presentation at health facilities saves lives.
“I was brought to the centre unconscious. I undergone three dialysis sessions before regaining consciousness during the fourth session.
“I was fed and well taken care of by the health workers. After discharge, I received new clothes and transport fare back home,” he said.
Hassan commended health workers at the centre for their professionalism and pledged to assist people in his community to refer suspected cases of Lassa fever and other infectious diseases to the centre for prompt attention.
Another survivor, Ms Nafi Sani, promised to mobilise her community members on the signs, symptoms, prevention, and referral pathways of the disease.
She recalled that she received counseling on the signs, symptoms, prevention, and referral pathways as well as mental health support at the centre.
Shirley Samsom, Infection Prevention and Control Manager, MSF, said the centre was being run in collaboration with the ATBU-TH.
She said the centre was designed with Infection Prevention and Control unit, kitchen, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, health promotion, mental health support, and clinical services.
NAN