Governor says one person died of Lassa fever, commissioner says nobody died

THERE was a disagreement between Benue State governor, Chief Samuel Ortom and the Commissioner for Health, Dr (Mrs) Cecilia Ojabo, over the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

The governor, while fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, on Tuesday, confirmed that the disease had hit the state with the death of one person.

As of the time the governor was saying this in Abuja, the commissioner was also briefing newsmen in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, where she said the state was free of Lassa fever and that no one died of the disease.

The commissioner explained that the only person admitted at the State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, though manifested symptoms related to Lassa Fever, the final report from the victim's blood samples done in Edo State showed that it was negative.

While the governor has advised residents to stop eating rodents at the moment, the commissioner allayed the fear of residents of the state over the issue.