Edo State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole, has declared a dengue fever outbreak in the state.
“We have confirmed 86 cases of dengue fever across several local government areas. While the number of deaths is still under verification, the trend is worrisome and calls for decisive, collective action,” he said.
While providing an update on other broader disease cases, he stated that the state had recorded 137 Lassa Fever cases, resulting in 24 deaths, two confirmed cases of Yellow Fever, with one death, eight Mpox cases, and eight confirmed cases of Diphtheria, with three deaths.
He also announced the appointment of Dr. Ojeifo Stephenson, the Director of Public Health, as the Incident Manager to coordinate and lead the response to this outbreak.
“The Ministry of Health has activated the Emergency Operations Centre and is rolling out a statewide dengue response plan. This includes surveillance, case management, vector control, risk communication, and environmental sanitation across all affected LGAs.”
Dengue fever is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and Aedes Albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito), which breed in clean, standing water and are most active during early morning and late afternoon hours. Therefore, the most effective way to stop dengue is to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and protect ourselves from bites.
