A medical Doctor, Ehivai Njamala died from the deadly viral disease, Lassa Fever in Rivers state today January 14th. The disease, which is fast growing into an epidemic in Nigeria, killed the doctor who is resident at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH), Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.

According to the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in the state, Dr. Duro Green, the deceased contracted the disease while treating some patients with the virus at the Disease Control unit in the hospital.

Dr Njamala will be the third person to have died from the viral disease since it broke out in the state in December 2015. Lassa fever is a deadly viral disease that is spread by infected rats. Its spread can be stopped by keeping a rodent-free environment and maintaining proper hygiene.