• Records five cases, one death
• FCT records five confirmed cases of diphtheria with two deaths
• Deploys surveillance, vaccination teams to priority settlements in Karshi

Oyo State Government has raised the alarm over the spread of Lassa fever, urging healthcare workers to treat every patient as potentially infectious, as the state recorded five confirmed cases and one death.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, gave the directive while outlining the state’s preparedness and response measures against Lassa fever and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.

Ajetunmobi said the state had recorded 131 suspected Lassa fever cases between January and September 8, 2026, adding that the disease remained endemic in some parts of the state.

She said that suspected cases were now being detected beyond the period traditionally associated with outbreaks.

According to her, although Lassa fever cases were usually more common between October or November and March or April, the state continued to record suspected cases during the rainy season.

The commissioner, however, attributed the continued risk partly to poor environmental hygiene and the presence of multimammate rats, urging residents to dispose of waste properly, seal openings in their homes and keep food securely covered.

She, therefore, urged residents experiencing persistent fever, headache, sore throat, vomiting or other unusual symptoms to seek medical attention promptly and disclose relevant travel history, saying that the state had activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre to strengthen coordination and preparedness for outbreak of infectious diseases.

Meanwhile, five confirmed cases of diphtheria with two deaths have been recorded in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCT) out of 15 suspected cases investigated in the territory.

Consequently, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has deployed surveillance and vaccination teams to priority settlements in Karshi where the reported cases were recorded and surrounding communities.

Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCTA, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, who disclosed this yesterday during an advocacy campaign and community engagement on the prevention and control of diphtheria at the Emir of Karshi’s Palace in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, stated that the teams, working with supervisors and others, are conducting case searches, assessing vaccination gaps and identifying children who have missed their routine vaccinations.

Fasawe noted that the vaccination efforts will prioritise zero-dose and under-immunised children, adding that the administration is moving beyond responding to individual cases to strengthening protection across the entire FCT.