LASSA FEVER UPDATE: Nurses Must Be Well Protected!!

Nigerian nurses have been advised to take precautionary measures in protecting themselves and the public from the current Lassa fever outbreak and other infectious diseases in the country.

The chairperson, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, FCT Council, Comrade Deborah Yusuf, in a statement said when universal precaution is carried out effectively by nurses, it will reduce or minimise the spread of most infectious diseases through cross infection from patients to nurses or other health care personnel.

“All nurses at the entry point of every health care facility must use a personal protective equipment, that is the use of gloves, eye goggles, gowns, shoes especially on patients that present the signs and symptoms similar to that of Lassa fever, which include: headache, general body malaise, fever, sore throat, pains, cold, rashes, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding from orifices of the body. Universal precaution should be applied until proven otherwise by the laboratory investigations,” she said.

She said all hands must be on deck to prevent more nurses from losing their lives as many have died while rendering care to patients. Yusuf said in the event of an established case, isolation should be done immediately and the patient will benefit from barrier nursing, adding that nurses are most times at the receiving end as they come into direct contact with the patient’s faeces, urine and other body fluids, as well as secretions from an infected patient.

REFERENCE: Daily Trust News