Edo records 28 deaths from Lassa fever, diphtheria, yellow fever

The Edo State Government has confirmed 28 deaths from outbreaks of Lassa fever, diphtheria and yellow fever across the state. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Oshiomhole, disclosed this yesterday in Benin while briefing journalists on the recent outbreak of Dengue fever in the state. Giving updates on other infectious diseases, Dr Oshiomhole said the […]

The Edo State Government has confirmed 28 deaths from outbreaks of Lassa fever, diphtheria and yellow fever across the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Oshiomhole, disclosed this yesterday in Benin while briefing journalists on the recent outbreak of Dengue fever in the state.

Giving updates on other infectious diseases, Dr Oshiomhole said the state had recorded 137 confirmed cases of Lassa fever, resulting in 24 deaths. He added that two confirmed cases of yellow fever had been reported, with one fatality while eight confirmed cases of diphtheria led to three deaths.

On monkeypox (Mpox), he noted that the state had recorded eight confirmed cases with no deaths.

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Speaking on the Dengue fever situation, the commissioner said 86 cases had so far been confirmed across several local government areas but no deaths had been recorded.

Dr Oshiomhole explained that Dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti. He warned that the disease spreads rapidly in areas with poor sanitation and stagnant water, which serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

He urged residents to maintain clean environments, cover water storage containers, use mosquito nets, apply insect repellents and destroy mosquito breeding sites to curb the spread.

The commissioner added that the state had activated a rapid response team led by the Director of Public Health, Dr Stephenson Ojiefoh as incident manager. He said an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) had also been activated to coordinate the state’s response efforts.

He said the Ministry of Health was rolling out a statewide response plan that includes surveillance, case management, vector control and environmental sanitation across affected communities.