LAGOS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities on Wednesday confirmed a Lassa fever outbreak in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub and most populous state.
The patient was currently in isolation ward at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba area of the state, Akin Abayomi, the State Commissioner for Health, said in a statement reaching Xinhua.
Abayomi reassured Lagos residents that the situation was under control, advising them not to panic over the situation.
He said the state government, in active collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), was working assiduously to stem the spread of the disease in the state.
He reassured residents that vigilance levels was high and government putting more measures in place to safeguard the state.
Lassa fever is an acute hemorrhagic disease caused by Lassa virus, belonging to the arenavirus family, and is transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by rodent feces.
