Adejoke Adeleye, Abeokuta
Ogun state government has confirmed Lassa Fever outbreak in the state, and one index case of a 25-year-old female corps member has been recorded.
The state government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, revealed that the corps member whose identity was not given was reportedly sick while in Ondo state and was brought to a secondary health facility in Ijebu North LGA on March 18th 2025, where she unfortunately passed away.
The state government, however, urged its citizens to report to any nearest hospital promptly if they notice any of these symptoms: high-grade fever, headache, general body weakness, sore throat, muscle pain, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain, and unexplained bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings.
The Ogun State Government urged citizens to report to the hospital promptly if they notice any of these symptoms. Healthcare workers are also advised to suspect Lassa fever in patients with febrile illnesses that have not responded to 48 hours of anti-malaria or antibiotics.
To combat the outbreak, the state government is calling on all health facilities, public and private, to enhance infection prevention and control measures. Healthcare workers who suspect Lassa fever in a patient are advised to contact their local government disease surveillance and notification officer or the State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (0703-421-4893) or State Epidemiologist (0808-425-0881).
This development comes amidst a broader Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, with 413 new confirmed cases and 80 deaths reported in the first six weeks of 2025¹. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has also reported 535 confirmed cases across 13 states as of March 2, 2025.