At least 12 people have died from Lassa fever in Ondo State, with 112 confirmed cases out of 353 reported cases, according to the Acting Statistician-General of the state, Olusola Ajayi. Ajayi, who made the revelation in Akure while addressing workers of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority, described the situation as alarming. He urged sanitation workers to collaborate with health sector stakeholders to improve environmental hygiene and curb the spread of the disease.
“We are in this together, and we must act fast. In Ondo State today, there are 353 reported cases of Lassa fever, 112 confirmed cases, and unfortunately, 12 deaths. The time to act is now,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported 143 confirmed cases out of 484 suspected cases across 32 local government areas in seven states between December 30, 2024, and January 12, 2025. The outbreak has claimed 22 lives, with a case fatality rate of 15.4 percent.
Additionally, the Permanent Secretary of the Ondo State Ministry of Health, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, disclosed that the state had recorded close to 400 suspected cases of Lassa fever since the recent outbreak, with over 100 confirmed cases. While he did not specify the exact number of fatalities, he acknowledged that deaths had been recorded.
