Edo State Ministry of Health on Friday confirmed the outbreak of Dengue Fever saying 86 cases have been reported across several local government areas in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Oshiomhole stated this during a press briefing where he assured that the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo remains fully committed to promoting the health of residents and would continue to work until the outbreak is brought under control.
To tackle the situation, Dr Oshiomhole said the director of Public Health, Dr Stephenson Ojiefoh, has been appointed as the incident manager to lead the response.
“The Emergency Operation Centre has also been activated and the ministry is rolling out a statewide response plan. This includes surveillance, case management, vector control and environmental sanitation across all affected areas,” he said.
He urged all healthcare workers across the state to be on high alert and to report any suspected case promptly.
Present at the briefing were representatives of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the State Disease Surveillance Team, directors in the Ministry of Health, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and other key stakeholders.
The commissioner said Dengue Fever is caused by a virus transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti. The disease spreads quickly, especially in areas with poor sanitation and stagnant water which provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
To prevent the spread, he advised to keep their surroundings clean, cover water containers, use mosquito nets, apply insect repellents and destroy mosquito breeding sites.
Apart from Dengue Fever, the health commissioner also gave updates on other disease situations in the state.
He said Lassa Fever has recorded 137 confirmed cases with 24 deaths, Yellow Fever has two confirmed cases with one death, Monkeypox (Npox) has eight confirmed cases with no deaths, while Diphtheria has eight confirmed cases with three deaths.
