Lassa fever kills corps member in Ogun

 Lassa fever kills corps member in Ogun

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, on Tuesday declared an outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

Coker said that the hemorrhaging viral fever recently claimed the life of a 25-year-old female National Youth Service Corps member who fell sick in Ondo and was brought to one of the state’s secondary health facilities at Ijebu North Local Government, where she died.

The Commissioner disclosed this in a statement sent to journalists on Wednesday.

She listed the symptoms of this viral fever to include high-grade fever, headache, general body weakness, sore throat, muscle pain, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, chest pain and unexplained bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings.

Coker urged the residents of the state to quickly report anyone with these symptoms to the nearest government health facility for immediate medical intervention.

She said, “Ogun State has confirmed a case of Lassa Fever and as such declared Lassa fever outbreak. The index case is a 25-year-old female National Youth Corps member who fell sick while in Ondo state and was brought to one of our secondary health facilities in Ijebu North LGA on 18th March 2025 and later died the same day.

“Lassa fever is a viral Haemorrhagic disease that presents with High-grade fever, Headache, General body weakness, Sore throat, Muscle pain, Cough, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Chest pain and Unexplained bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings. We implore members of the community to promptly report to the hospital if they notice any of these symptoms. Any case of febrile illness that has not responded to 48 hours of use of anti-malaria or antibiotics should raise an index of suspicion for Lassa fever!

“We implore all Health facilities in Ogun state, public and private, to step up Infection Prevention and Control measures and encourage compliance by all health facility staff. Healthcare worker who suspects Lassa fever in a patient are advised to call their local government disease surveillance and notification officer (LGA DSNO), whose numbers are placed in our health facilities or call State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (0703-421-4893) or State Epidemiologist (0808-425-0881).

“The Ogun State Government remains dedicated to protecting the health of its citizens through continuous surveillance and prompt response to infectious diseases. The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Rapid Response Team at ljebu North East, are keeping the situation under control with enhanced surveillance and community engagement and mobilization for effective response.”