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By Idahosa Musa
Benin City, Nigeria – Edo State Government on Friday confirmed the outbreak of Dengue Fever, disclosing that 86 cases have been reported across several local government areas of the state.
Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole, the State Commissioner for Health, made the disclosure at a press conference in Benin.
Oshiomhole, however, assured that the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo remained fully committed to protecting the health of residents and would continue to work until the outbreaks are brought under control.
He added that as part of the efforts to combat the disease, the Director of Public Health, Dr. Stephenson Ojiefoh, had been appointed as the incident manager to lead the response.
“The Emergency Operation Center 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 disclosed.
Oshiomhole tasked all healthcare workers across the state to be on high alert and to report any suspected case promptly.
The Commissioner explained Dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted through the Aedes mosquito bites particularly Aedes aegypti.
The disease, he stated, spreads quickly, especially in areas with poor sanitation and stagnant water, which provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
To prevent the spread, Oshiomhole advised residents of the state “to keep their surroundings clean, cover water containers, use mosquito nets, apply insect repellents, and destroy mosquito breeding sites.”
Apart from Dengue fever, the commissioner also gave updates on other disease situations in the state.
He said Lassa Fever had recorded 137 confirmed cases with 24 deaths, Yellow Fever had two confirmed cases with one death, Monkeypox (Npox) had eight confirmed cases with no deaths, and Diphtheria had eight confirmed cases with three deaths.
Present at the briefing were representatives of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the State Disease Surveillance Team, Ministry of Health Directors, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and other key stakeholders.
