A 25-year-old member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has reportedly passed away from Lassa fever at a secondary health facility in the Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The female corps member, who became ill while in Ondo State, was admitted to the health facility last Tuesday and tragically died on the same day. This information was included in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, on Wednesday, who also confirmed the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.
ALSO READ: Delta apologizes for poor service
The statement reads,
Ogun State has confirmed a case of Lassa Fever and, as such, declared a Lassa fever outbreak.
The index case is a 25-year-old female National Youth Corp member who fell sick while in Ondo State and was brought to one of our secondary health facilities in ljebu 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.
Coker advised community members to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any of the listed symptoms.
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 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 to 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), she added.
The commissioner emphasized the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration’s commitment to protecting the health of citizens through ongoing surveillance and swift action against infectious diseases.
She added that the ministry, in partnership with the Rapid Response Team in Ijebu North East, is managing the situation effectively with improved surveillance and community engagement.
