Leadership (Abuja)
Winifred Ogbebo
5 November 2009
Abuja — Nigeria has recorded its first case of influenza (H1N1), otherwise called swine flu.
The Federal Ministry of Health announced yesterday in a press release signed by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Health on Communications, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, that a nine-year-old female American residing in Lagos had gone with flu-like symptoms of fever, such as sore throat, nasal congestion and nausea to the American Consular Clinic in Lagos where various tests were carried out.
The girl recovered fully with symptomatic treatment after five days of duration of illness.
The Lagos State Ministry of Health, where the instant case occurred, was aware of the case and further contact tracing, screening and active surveillance carried out by the state had shown that there was no other reported case so far.
The health ministry said it had strengthened its preparedness and response plans and that of the states ministries of health to enhance surveillance to pick up and contain any case that might occur.
It said, "To arrest any eventuality, the Federal Ministry of Health has prepositioned in all the 36 states and FCT, adequate quantities of Tamiflu, the antiviral drug for treatment, and other medical supplies for containment of cases of the influenza."
While assuring Nigerians to stay calm and not panic and that the ministry was working together with all partners and all the states ministries of health to make sure that Nigerians were protected from the pandemic, it recommended routine precautions to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as washing of hands with soap and water often and covering nose and mouth when one coughs or sneezes.
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