Oyo confirms Lassa fever outbreak, records one death

The Oyo State Government has confirmed five cases of Lassa fever, including one fatality, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.

Speaking at a press briefing in Ibadan on Friday, the Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, said the state had activated its emergency response framework to manage the situation.

She disclosed that confirmed cases are currently receiving treatment at designated facilities, including the Infectious Disease Centre in Olodo and the isolation unit of the University College Hospital.

According to Ajetunmobi, the response aligns with national and global health protocols, with coordination from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation.

The government has also activated an Incident Management System and Emergency Operations Centre, alongside a multi-sectoral response team involving health, environment, agriculture and information agencies.

She added that surveillance has been stepped up, with more than 200 contacts identified and placed under monitoring, while isolation centres have been fully operationalised. Essential medications, including Ribavirin, have also been prepositioned to support treatment efforts.

To curb the spread, the state has strengthened infection prevention and control measures, including the provision of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and the enforcement of safe burial practices.

Environmental interventions such as sanitation, fumigation and decontamination of affected areas are ongoing, while health personnel continue to receive training on outbreak management.

Residents were urged to adopt preventive measures such as proper food storage, maintaining clean surroundings, avoiding contact with rodents and promptly seeking medical care if symptoms like fever, vomiting or bleeding occur.

Other government officials, including the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Ademola Aderinto, and the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said awareness campaigns and community sensitisation efforts have been intensified.

A representative of the Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, Jesse Otegbeye, commended the state government’s swift and coordinated response, describing it as effective in limiting the outbreak.