The Ogun State Government has confirmed an outbreak of Lassa fever following the death of a 25 years old female National Youth Service Corps member who died after contracting the disease.
The deceased corper, who fell ill while in Ondo State, was admitted to a secondary health facility in Ijebu North Local Government Area , and succumbed to the illness recently, raising alarms over the spread of the viral hemorrhagic disease
In a statement issued to journalists on Wednesday, Ogun Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, revealed the outbreak’s first confirmed victim.
She stated, “Ogun State has confirmed a case of Lassa Fever and as such declared Lassa fever outbreak, marking the official response to the crisis.
Coker urged residents to remain vigilant and report symptoms including high-grade fever, headache, general body weakness, sore throat, muscle pain, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain, and unexplained bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth, or other body openings to the nearest government health facility.
She stressed the urgency of medical attention, noting that any fever persisting beyond 48 hours of antimalarial or antibiotic treatment should be treated as a potential Lassa fever case.
The health commissioner directed all healthcare facilities, public and private, to bolster infection prevention and control protocols.
She said, “We implore all health facilities in Ogun state to step up Infection Prevention and Control measures and encourage compliance by all health facility staff.”
Coker assured that the Ogun Government, working alongside the Rapid Response Team at Ijebu North East, is ramping up surveillance and community engagement to contain the outbreak.
She asserted, “The Ogun State Government remains dedicated to protecting the health of its citizens through continuous surveillance and prompt response to infectious diseases.”
The commissioner instructed healthcare workers suspecting Lassa fever to contact their local government disease surveillance and notification officer or call the State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer.
