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Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo has ordered the immediate release of N100 million as first tranche payment for the procurement of equipment to fight Lassa fever.

Obaseki said the fund would be used to purchase four dialysis machines, ventilators, personal protective equipment, drugs and other consumables required for the treatment of Lassa fever patients.

This is contained in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday in Benin by Mr Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy.

The discovery of a patient suspected of suffering from Lassa fever has resulted in patients deserting the Kubwa General Hospital in Abuja, out of apprehension of contacting the deadly disease.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night when a female patient was brought into the hospital, after vomiting blood.

According to reports, one of the doctors at the hospital noticed a patient, who was profusely vomiting blood at the accident and emergency ward of the hospital, he cautiously avoided having physical contact with her and immediately raised alarm to encourage patients to vacate the ward.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS), a global attempt to address drug resistance.

The GLASS will engage the development of tools and standards and improved collaboration around the world, to track drug resistance, measure its health and economic impacts, and design targeted solutions.

WHO reported new surveillance data on Monday, which revealed widespread resistance to some of the world’s most common infections, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus.

The President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Professor Mike Ogirima, has advised doctors not to treat patients with traces of Lassa fever without protective gadgets. Ogirima expressed displeasure over the death of some doctors while trying to save lives of Lassa fever patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) first release of surveillance data on antibiotic resistance reveals a high level of resistance to antibiotics by a number of serious bacterial infections in both high- and low-income countries.

The report Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) published on WHO’s website, on Monday, reveals the widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistance among 500, 000 people with suspected bacterial infections across 22 countries.

According to the director of Antimicrobial Resistance Secretariat, WHO, Marc Sprenger, the report confirms the serious situation of antibiotic resistance worldwide.”

The Governor of Cross River state, Prof. Ben Ayade has approved 24- hour security coverage of medical doctors and other health practitioners in the state following the increasing cases of kidnapping of doctors. The decision was disclosed to newsmen by the Security Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Jude Ngaji. He said the decision was reached after series of meeting between the state government and doctors.