The Ondo State government has confirmed that 12 people have died from Lassa fever, with 112 cases established out of 353 reported since the outbreak of the disease.
Acting Statistician-General of the state, Mr. Olusola Ajayi, disclosed this while addressing workers of the state Waste Management Authority, urging them to collaborate with other stakeholders in combating the disease.
“We are together in that business. We have to act fast now because of this data that I’m going to give you. In Ondo State today, there are 353 cases of Lassa fever, 112 have been confirmed. 12 people have died. So, if we want to act, the time is now,” Ajayi stated.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, assured that the state would utilize the upgraded laboratory by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) for Lassa fever testing at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Akure. He added that samples would no longer need to be taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, for testing and confirmation.
Ikuomola explained that the upgrade was funded by the United States Centre for Disease Control (USCDC) and aimed at strengthening the state’s public health laboratories to test for Lassa fever and other infectious diseases. He expressed optimism that the state would be able to control the outbreak while improving case management and detection.
“What we did was a collaborative effort. The IHVN assisted in training personnel and provided needed support. We have provided things to complement what they have provided,” Ikuomola said.
Dr. Yetunde Abioye, a representative of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), assured that the laboratory would be optimized in the near future once the necessary notifications were completed.
“We’ve also sent some equipment like 18. We’ve also conducted some levels of training for them but we will still do more in preparation to optimise the lab and make it functional to be able to test for Lassa fever, especially in focus at the moment emergency operation centre,” she stated.
