Gov. Obaseki warns of the mounting death toll from Lassa disease in Edo

The governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, stated on Wednesday that the state has seen an epidemic of Lassa Fever that has infected over 50 people with a fatality rate of 5%.

Obaseki revealed this via Chris Nehikhare, Commissioner for Communication and Orientation.
He said that even though the government was doing everything it could to control the situation, it was getting out of hand and the cry was now necessary.
The governor says that the state has asked the federal government for help to deal with the plague, but the federal government has not yet replied.

“I am aware that you are all keeping up with the Lassa fever case and the state’s efforts to combat it.

For all intents and purposes, we have reached out to the federal government, but it has abandoned the state government and its citizens in this matter.

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As of today (Wednesday), there are over 50 cases of Lassa fever in Edo, and the sickness has a 5% fatality rate, which is far higher than COVID-19.

He said that all of his pleas and requests to the federal government had been ignored.

The more concerning aspect, according to Obaseki, is that the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, who is from the state and should have helped alert the federal government to the predicament of its citizens, has not shown any concern.

He claimed that the state had made desperate attempts to enlist the assistance of the federal government and its agencies, but to no avail. He therefore appealed to the international community, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other health organisations to assist the state’s citizens before the situation spirals out of control.