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The Anambra State Government has activated emergency public health measures following the confirmation of a Lassa fever case involving a patient linked to Omasi community in Ayamelum Local Government Area.
The patient is currently receiving medical care at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, while health authorities in Anambra have commenced efforts to prevent further transmission of the disease.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, disclosed the development on Monday during an emergency stakeholders’ meeting in Awka. He said the government had strengthened disease surveillance and activated its Incident Management System to coordinate the response.
According to the commissioner, the intervention involves collaboration with health partners, including the World Health Organisation and Médecins Sans Frontières, to support efforts aimed at containing the situation.
Obidike explained that health officials would visit the affected household in Omasi to identify individuals who had contact with the patient. The contacts would be assessed and monitored based on their level of exposure to determine the appropriate public health measures.
Meanwhile, the state government has urged residents to remain alert and seek medical attention if they experience persistent fever or symptoms resembling malaria that fail to improve with treatment. Residents have also been cautioned against relying on self-medication, which could delay the diagnosis and treatment of the infection.
The State Epidemiologist, Emembolu Chuma, advised residents to maintain proper hygiene and adopt food safety practices to reduce the risk of infection. He urged households to keep food covered, store foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers and maintain clean surroundings to discourage rats.
The Ministry of Health also warned against direct contact with the blood and other body fluids of suspected or confirmed Lassa fever patients. Residents of Omasi, other communities in Ayamelum and the wider Anambra State were encouraged to cooperate with health officials and avoid circulating unverified information as the government works to contain the case.
