The Oyo State Government on Friday confirmed five cases of Lassa fever, with one fatality recorded in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, disclosed this during a press briefing in Ibadan, the state capital, noting that affected patients are currently receiving treatment.
She said the infected persons had been admitted at the state’s Infectious Disease Centre in Olodo and the isolation unit of the University College Hospital.
Ajetunmobi added that the government had activated its emergency response mechanisms and adopted a multi-sectoral approach in line with guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The state government has commenced active case search and is currently monitoring over 200 identified contacts,” she said.
She noted that essential drugs, including Ribavirin, had been made available, while isolation centres had been fully operationalised to contain the spread of the disease.
According to her, preventive and control measures such as the provision of personal protective equipment and enforcement of safe burial protocols had also been put in place.
The commissioner, however, urged residents to adopt precautionary measures, including proper food storage, maintaining good hygiene, avoiding contact with rodents, and seeking immediate medical attention upon noticing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, and bleeding.
The development comes amid growing concerns over rising Lassa fever cases nationwide.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had earlier warned of an increase in fatalities linked to the disease, revealing that 167 deaths had been recorded so far in 2026, with a case fatality rate of 25.2 per cent—higher than the 18.5 per cent reported within the same period in 2025.
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