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The Bayelsa State government has announced that a suspected case of Lassa fever has been recorded in the state. An isolation centre has reportedly been opened in the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Health, Pabara Newton Igwele, who disclosed this in his office, however, declined to give details. Nonetheless, he highlighted the symptoms, causative organisms and preventive measures of Lassa Fever which is a rising challenge in West Africa. Igwele advised healthcare workers and the public on the transmission of the fever which is caused by Lassa viruses and other agents. He further urged the public and healthcare workers to take preventive measures such as washing of hands before consumption of food, disinfecting surfaces and materials in healthcare settings to avoid the transmission of the virus, which spreads through ingesting food and drinks contaminated with the faeces and urine of infected rodents as well as through person to person transmission. The Commissioner noted that the state is liaising with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as organising sensitisation programmes in various organisations to enlighten the populace to eradicate its transmission.