The Oyo State government, on Friday, announced that the state recorded 5 cases of lassa fever and one death.

The state commissioner for health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, disclosed the development during a press briefing in Ibadan.

“The State Government wishes to confirm five cases of Lassa fever outbreak, with one death,” Mrs Ajetunmobi stated.

The commissioner said infected individuals are presently receiving medical care at the state Infectious Disease Centre in Olodo and the University College Hospital (UCH) isolation unit.

The commissioner said the state has activated its emergency response framework, as well as initiated a multi-sectoral intervention approach, in line with guidelines set by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mrs Ajetunmobi disclosed that the state government has commenced an active case search and is currently monitoring more than 200 identified contacts.

She noted that essential drugs such as Ribavirin, have been made available, while isolation centres have been operationalised, to mitigate the virus.

The commissioner added that prevention and control measures, including the facilitation of personal protective equipment, safe burial protocols, have equally been provided.

Mrs Ajetunmobi warned residents in the state to obey preventive measures such as proper food storage, good sanitary practices, preventing contact with rodents and seeking immediate medical care if any of the virus symptoms, including fever, vomiting and bleeding, are suspected.

Earlier, on Thursday April 9, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) warned about the sharp rise of Lassa fever fatalities in the country.

The NCDC disclosed that 167 deaths had been recorded in 2026, indicating a 25.2 percent case fatality rate (CFR) than the 18.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.