Dry season: Ondo Govt. begins proactive strategies to combat Lassa fever outbreak

Ondo State Government said it had mapped out strategies to combat outbreak of Lassa fever in the state ahead of the dry season.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mrs Folukemi Aladenola, said this in a statement issued by Mrs Bisi Lawani, the ministry’s Head of Information Unit, on Thursday in Akure.

Aladenola gave the assurance after an emergency Operation Committee meeting at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Akure.

The PS, who was represented by the State Epidemiologist and Director of Disease Control, Dr Stephen Fagbemi, said the state government decided to be ready with the strategies as the number of cases of Lassa fever were usually high at the onset of the dry season in November.

She stated that it was important to strategise and begin to roll out information on the seasonal pattern of the disease.

The PS explained that there was continuous need to contain the spread of the virus through sensitisation to the ways people could escape being infected by the disease.

She said that since the state was one of the known endemic states in the country for the disease, there was need for synergy among health workers for proper diagnosis and prompt notification.

She added that “the committee emphasised that the general public must be sensitised appropriately.

“Especially farmers and dwellers in the rural and agrarian societies on how best to prevent outbreak by keeping food items in ways that are not accessible to rodents and that they should stop bush burning.

“The committee also called on the people of the state to promote good hygiene at homes and in their various communities and also put measures in place to discourage rodents from entering their homes.

“The meeting resolved that strategies that would be used to combat the outbreak of the illness included training of clinicians, rolling out sensitization jingles, radio drama, motorised campaign and use of social media,” she stated.