BEVERLY HILLS, May 14, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government on Friday alerted Nigerians to the outbreak of a killer disease known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome in the country which has killed one person and infected another Nigerian who is presently receiving treatment at the National Hospital Abuja.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who announced the outbreak of the disease at a news conference in Abuja, urged Nigerians not to panic, stressing that the Federal Government was doing everything possible to check the outbreak.
While describing the health condition as an unusual allergic reaction to medications found in Nigeria and some parts of Europe, said: “We have to find a means to communicate with Nigerians, so they should all be aware of this dangerous disease and it is the sole business of the government to enlighten the society by trying to increase their awareness, knowledge and to improve their quality way of life.”
The minister urged Nigerians to be vigilant and seek urgent medical attention should they notice any sign of a rare disease, calling on members of the public to be more careful while using medications of all kinds.
He called for increased awareness in the use of drugs and in the reading of drug leaflets and advocated attention to the need for thorough scrutiny of drug leaflets before taking such drugs to guide against adverse effects.
He urged Nigerians to always involve health practitioners when unexplained reactions occur as a result of infections or in the use of drugs as the syndrome is unpredictable and more prevalent in women.
Expatriating more on the deadly disease, a Senior Consultant Physician/Dermatologist at the National Hospital, Dr. Olanrewaju Falodun said, “Stephens Johnson Syndrome, is an immune complex mediated hypersensitivity reaction that typically involves the skin and mucous membranes and was first described in 1922 by Albert Stevens and Frank Johnson.
“SJS is a rare and unpredictable reaction, and is also a minor form of toxic epidermal necrolysis with less than 10 percent body surface area involvement.
“SJS is a rare but serious and potentially life-threatening contagious drug reaction. Incidence of SJS is estimated between 1.1 and 7.1 cases per million per year and is more prevalent in women than men. Incidence in Europe is two per million per year”.
Admitting that one of the patients being treated at the National Hospital is already dead, while the other was still undergoing treatment, he explained that the incidence of the disease is higher in Africa because of the extensive use of herbal drugs and the prevalence of HIV.
