The Ondo State Government says it is making concerted efforts to tackle the outbreak of lassa fever in the state.
 
The State Commissioner for Health under Governor Rotimi Akeredolu led - administration, Dr Wahab Adegbenro stated this at the meeting of the State Epidemic Preparedness and Response Committee in Akure, the state capital.
 
Dr Adegbenro said the meeting of the extended committee which is multi sectoral in nature was called following the recent upsurge in the Lassa Fever outbreak in the state, adding that government is working to put the situation under control.
 
He said the State has not been sleeping over the issue, as the fatality rate in the month of January alone is alarming, hence the need for stakeholders to come together to work on lasting solution to the issue.
 
To tackle the situation headlong, the Health Commissioner said there a serious partnership between the State and the Treatment Center, Federal Medical Center Owo, on the treatment of patients.
 
Dr Adegbenro disclosed that the government has given FMC Beds, Personal Protective Equipments (PPE), making arrangement for a 100KVA Generator to power the Incidence Lab, Chemistry Analyser, Dialysis machine and some other consumables that will be ready in the next one week.
 
He said lots of sensitisation is on about Lassa Fever, which he described as a purely environmental issue, which can be resolved through proper environmental management, hygienic food processing procedures and stoppage of harmful habits that aid the spread of the Lassa virus.
 
The Health Commissioner on behalf of the state government thanked FMC Owo for their commitment in the battle against Lassa, promising that they will be compensated in due course.
 
He also thanked Developments Partners and other stakeholders for their commitment, while urging them to do whatever they want to do urgently as the period is a trying one for the state.
 
In his situation report, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Stephen Fagbemi disclosed that the outbreak has been on, consistently in the last three years and had not been totally put at bay because of the environmental management attitude of residents of the state.
 
The outbreak last year in his words, was thought to be the worst but the current one which started October last year is overwhelming.
 
He said the state is leading nationally with the statistics that he made available to stakeholders for January 2020 alone and this in his words, have both tourism and economic effect on the state.