Lassa fever kills 12 persons in Ondo

Twelve people have been killed by the Lassa fever outbreak in Ondo State, with no fewer than 112 confirmed cases.
The Statistician-General of the state, Olusola Ajayi, who revealed this, stated that 353 cases have been reported in the state.

While describing the situation as alarming, Ajayi urged workers of the state waste management authority to step up their efforts in ensuring cleanliness in the state.

The Statistician-General also appealed to the waste officials to collaborate with other stakeholders in the health sector to ensure a healthy environment as part of efforts to reduce the menace.

He said: “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.”

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Adeniran Ikuomola, had last week stated that the state recorded close to 400 suspected cases of Lassa fever since its recent outbreak, with over 100 confirmed cases.

“We have 400 suspected cases and 100 confirmed cases. I would have loved to give you a specific number of deaths. We have recorded some deaths.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 143 cases of Lassa fever out of the 484 suspected cases from December 30, 2024, to January 12, 2025, across seven states in 32 local councils.

The centre also reported 22 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 15.4 per cent.