At least 12 people have died from Lassa fever in Ondo State, with 112 confirmed cases and 353 reported infections, the state government has announced.
The Acting Statistician-General of Ondo State Olusola Ajayi, made the revelation on Tuesday in Akure during a briefing with workers of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority. Ajayi urged the agency to partner with health stakeholders to improve environmental conditions and prevent the further spread of the disease.
“We are all in this together, and we must act quickly. As of today, Ondo State has recorded 353 cases of Lassa fever, with 112 confirmed and 12 deaths. Now is the time to take action,” Ajayi said.
In a related development, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, confirmed that nearly 400 suspected cases have been reported since the latest outbreak began.
During the unveiling of a new Lassa fever diagnostic center in Akure, Dr. Ikuomola stated that the facility was a collaborative effort between the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN). The new center aims to boost the state’s ability to detect and treat the virus more effectively.
“We have inspected the equipment provided by the Federal Ministry of Health, with support from NCDC and facilitated by IHVN,” Dr. Ikuomola said. “This will significantly improve our case detection and management capabilities.”
As of last week, Ondo State had recorded over 400 suspected cases, with more than 100 confirmed infections. While the number of fatalities has risen, the state government remains focused on reducing further deaths through swift and coordinated actions.
