Edo State has so far lost 28 persons to the outbreaks of Lassa and Yellow Fevers as well as Diphtheria in the last few months, with Lassa fever recording the highest deaths put at 24.
This was disclosed on Friday by the state Ministry of Health at a press conference addressed by the commissioner, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole.
Dr. Oshiomhole, who confirmed the outbreak of Dengue Fever, said 86 cases have been reported in several local government areas in the state.
Also giving updates on other disease situations in the state, he said there had been 137 cases of Lassa Fever with 24 deaths, eight cases of Diphtheria with three deaths,
two confirmed cases of Yellow Fever with one death, and eight confirmed cases of Monkeypox (Npox) with no deaths so far.
He however assured that the Governor Monday Okpebholo administration remained fully committed to protecting the health of residents and would continue to work until all outbreaks were brought under control.
On what the government is doing to address the outbreaks, Dr. Oshiomhole said the Director, Public Health, Dr. Stephenson Ojiefoh had been appointed as the incident manager to lead the response, adding that “The Emergency Operation Centre has also been activated, and the Ministry is rolling out a statewide response plan. This includes surveillance, case management, vector control, and environmental sanitation across all affected areas.”
The commissioner urged all healthcare workers across the state to be on high alert and to report any suspected case promptly.
Present at the briefing were representatives of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the State Disease Surveillance Team, Ministry of Health Directors, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and other key stakeholders.
Enlightening the public on the cause of Dengue Fever, the commissioner said it is caused by a virus transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti, and it spreads quickly, especially in areas with poor sanitation and stagnant water, which provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
To prevent the spread, he advised residents to keep their surroundings clean, cover water containers, use mosquito nets, apply insect repellents, and destroy mosquito breeding sites.