The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says Ondo, Edo and Bauchi recorded 70 per cent of the 909 confirmed cases and 170 deaths from Lassa fever cases.

Olaolu Aderinola, NCDC assistant director, disclosed this at a press briefing on the update on COVID-19 response and development in the health sector in Abuja.

Mr Aderinola said the centre reported Lassa fever cases from 25 states and 101 LGAs.

On measles, he said the impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt across several other areas, including the increase in the risk of measles and a probable rise in yellow fever outbreaks due to delayed planned vaccination campaigns.

”We recorded 18,577 confirmed cases and 190 deaths as of week 35 in 36 states and the FCT, and there are 40 LGAs with the active outbreak. ”We will continue to support state responses to measles outbreaks,” the NCDC assistant director said.

Mr Aderinola added that the agency continued to record confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, just as in several other parts of the world.

“Unfortunately, SARS-CoV-II is still exerting impacts globally. However, the effects of vaccinations, diagnostics and therapeutics are evident in our ability to continue with regular life,” the official said further. “In Nigeria, we have had 5,547,250 samples tested, 264,802 confirmed cases, 257,880 discharged cases and unfortunately 3,155 deaths.”

He, however, admonished Nigerians to continue to take responsibility for preventing COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

“As we have seen with COVID-19 and the outbreak of monkeypox in countries globally, diseases will continue to emerge, so we must learn to live safely and continue to protect our lives and livelihoods,” Mr Aderinola explained.

The Hospital Service Federal Ministry of Health director, Adebimpe Adebiyi, said there was no surge in oxygen demand in isolation wards across the country.

“Oxygen availability at the isolation wards is ramped up because of the already completed few federal government driven PSA oxygen plants,” she said.

Speaking on case management strengthening activities, Ms Adebiyi said the minister, through the Case Management Pillar and in collaboration with NACA, was holding coordination meetings with partners in the oxygen ecosystem implementation strategies.

(NAN)