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Nigerian health authorities have announced that the country will soon create a health care fund for patients with confirmed cases of Lbada fever and ensuring that money does not become an obstacle to access to treatment.
The Nigerian Disease Control Center (NCDC) confirmed the claim in a statement to Xinhua in Abuja on Monday, saying the process was at the heart of discussions at all levels of government in the country.
"We are planning, through the Fund for Basic Primary Health Care, the new federal funding, to cover the cost of treating confirmed cases of Lbada fever patients," said the chief of staff. NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu.
"The aim is to ensure that the ability to pay is not an obstacle to access to treatment for public health diseases such as Lbada fever," said the official. control of the disease.
Pending the launch of the health care fund, the Nigerian government is working to reduce the burden of treating Lbada fever on patients, he said.
Experts say the cost of treatment at Lbada is very high. Ribavirin, a potent antiviral drug, is known to be a very expensive medicine in the country.
"But we want to make sure every confirmed case gets the drug for free," Ihekweazu said.
"Even if you can make Lbada's treatment accessible, it's always cheaper to prevent it."
Lbada fever is known to be endemic in several West African countries.
On January 22, the Nigerian authorities announced a new outbreak of haemorrhagic fever, indicating that an emergency operations center had been activated to coordinate the response.
In total, 121 deaths have been recorded since the beginning of the epidemic, and 16 new cases confirmed Friday, according to the NCDC.
The Disease Control Center also reported that 526 cases had been confirmed in the 2,034 suspected cases since 1 January in 21 states in Nigeria.
Last week, a health worker was affected in Plateau State in the middle belt of Nigeria, bringing to 17 the total number of health workers reported dead in seven states since the epidemic of the disease. this year, the NCDC added.
The multi-partner and multi-sectoral Lbada fever national emergency center continued to coordinate response activities at all levels of the country.
Recent epidemiological data show that Lbada fever is generally present in Nigeria during the dry season, between January and April.
Humans are infected with Lbada virus after being exposed to the urine or feces of infected rat mastomys. In addition to common preventive measures such as regular hand washing, the World Health Organization has also recommended keeping cats.
In 2018, NCDC reported at least 143 Lbada fever-related deaths nationwide. Enditem
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