Corpse of Lassa Fever Victim Who Died at National Hospital Abandoned By Family

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The corpse of the patient who died of Lassa fever about two weeks at the National Hospital, Abuja reportedly seems to have been abandoned by his family.

A source in the hospital told PUNCH that the family might have abandoned the corpse “because of the manner of the death.”

The 33-year-old newly-married man lived in Jos, Plateau State, but came to see a relative in Kubwa because of his illness. He, however, died within 24 hours of admission at the National Hospital.

An employee of the hospital who pleaded anonymity said, “The information we got was that the family of the deceased patient are scared that they may contract the disease in the process of the burial. Several calls have been put to them but it seems they are not convinced. A lot of work should be done by enlightening them that the body has been decontaminated and is therefore safe and harmless.”

The spokesperson for the National Hospital, Dr. Tayo Haastrup, said,

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“The corpse of the dead patient was well bagged as usual and cannot contaminate anybody. We have informed the Federal Ministry of Health. The ministry, through the Director, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi, should advise us appropriately on it. We are waiting for the directive of the ministry.”

However, when contacted, Nasidi said that the family of the dead patient has not come to claim his corpse yet and have not offered any explanation.