Anambra Activates Emergency Response After Confirming Lassa Fever Case

The Anambra State Government has activated an emergency response following the confirmation of a Lassa fever case involving a patient linked to the Omasi community in the Ayamelum Local Government Area.

The patient is receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State. The Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Afam Obidike, disclosed this on Monday during a stakeholders’ meeting in Awka.

Obidike disclosed that the state had strengthened disease surveillance and public awareness to prevent further spread of the disease, adding that the ministry had activated the Incident Management System, with support from health partners, including the World Health Organisation and Médecins Sans Frontières.

He said that health officials would visit the affected household in Omasi, identify people who had contact with the patient and monitor them according to their level of exposure. He urged residents with persistent fever or malaria-like symptoms that do not improve with treatment to seek medical attention promptly, warning against relying only on self-medication. The State Epidemiologist, Emembolu Chuma, advised residents to keep food covered, store it in containers that rats cannot enter, and maintain clean surroundings to prevent contamination by rodents.

The Ministry of Health also warned residents against contact with the blood and other body fluids of suspected or confirmed Lassa fever patients. It urged people in Omasi, other communities in Ayamelum and across Anambra State to remain vigilant, cooperate with health officials and avoid spreading unverified information. The state government said the measures were aimed at monitoring possible contacts and reducing the risk of further transmission.