At least 12 people have died following a Lassa fever outbreak in Ondo State, with 112 confirmed cases and 353 reported infections, the state government has revealed.
According to The PUNCH, the Acting Statistician-General of Ondo State, Olusola Ajayi, disclosed the figures on Tuesday in Akure while addressing workers of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority.
He called for urgent collaboration between the agency and health stakeholders to curb the spread of the disease.
“We are all in this together, and we must act fast. As of today, Ondo State has recorded 353 cases of Lassa fever, with 112 confirmed and 12 deaths. If we want to take action, the time is now,” Ajayi stressed.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, highlighted the severity of the outbreak, revealing that the state had recorded close to 400 suspected cases in recent weeks.
Speaking during the launch of a newly established Lassa fever diagnostic center in Akure, Ikuomola noted that the facility was donated by the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria to enhance early detection and treatment.
“We have inspected the equipment provided by the Federal Ministry of Health, through NCDC and facilitated by IHVN. With this, we expect to improve case detection and management significantly,” he stated.
While acknowledging the fatalities recorded so far, Ikuomola assured that the state government is working tirelessly to reduce the impact of the outbreak.
“As of last week, we had over 400 suspected cases and more than 100 confirmed cases. While there have been fatalities, the state government is making efforts to reduce deaths from Lassa fever,” he added.
