No fewer than twelve (12) persons have lost their lives out of 112 confirmed cases of deadly Lassa fever in Ondo State.
Acting Statistician-General in the state, Olusola Ajayi made the revelation in Akure, the Ondo State capital while addressing workers of the state’s waste management authority.
Ajayi described the 112 confirmed cases and deaths of 12 persons as alarming development.
The ASG, however, called on the workers of Ondo State Waste Management Authority to brace up and collaborate with other stakeholders in the health sector towards ensuring a healthy environment as part of ways to reduce the menace.
According to him, “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 reported cases of Lassa fever, 112 have been confirmed, 12 bodies have died. So, if we want to act, the time is now.”
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 143, out of 484 suspected cases of Lassa fever from December 30, 2024 to January 12, 2025, in seven (7) states across 32 local government areas.
The Centre also reported 22 deaths with a case fatality rate of 15.4 per cent.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Adeniran Ikuomola last week said Ondo State recorded close to 400 suspected cases of Lassa fever since its recent outbreak.
“We have 400 suspected cases and confirmed 100. I would have loved to give you a specific number of deaths. We have recorded some deaths,” Dr Ikuomola earlier said.