By Abigail Philip David
Lassa fever has resulted in 12 deaths in Ondo State, with 112 confirmed cases and 353 reported infections, according to state authorities.
Olusola Ajayi, the Acting Statistician-General of Ondo State, disclosed this information on Tuesday in Akure while addressing the staff of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority. He emphasized the need for collaboration between the agency and health stakeholders to maintain a cleaner environment and curb the disease’s spread.
“We are all in this together, and we must act quickly. As of today, Ondo State has recorded 353 Lassa fever cases, including 112 confirmed and 12 deaths. The time to act is now,” Ajayi stated.
In addition, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Health, confirmed that nearly 400 suspected cases of Lassa fever have been reported since the recent outbreak. He made this statement during the opening of a new diagnostic center for Lassa fever in Akure.
Ikuomola revealed that the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) had funded the new facility to improve detection and treatment efforts. He assured the public that the state government was working tirelessly to ensure the laboratory’s operational success and strengthen collaboration with relevant agencies to reduce fatalities.
“We have inspected the equipment provided by the Federal Ministry of Health through NCDC and facilitated by IHVN. With this, we expect a significant improvement in case detection and management,” Ikuomola added. “As of last week, over 400 suspected cases and more than 100 confirmed cases were reported. While there have been fatalities, the state government is dedicated to reducing deaths from Lassa fever.”
