The Kwara State Government has dismissed reports alleging deaths from Lassa fever at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, insisting that no case of the disease has been recorded in the state.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Ilorin, the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Mrs Hamdalat Sa’ad, said investigations carried out by the State Rapid Response Team (RRT) confirmed that the claims circulating on social media were false.
Sa’ad explained that the clarification followed an immediate investigation led by the State Epidemiologist, Dr Kamaldeen Khadeejah, after a social media post alleged that corps members had died from suspected Lassa fever at the NYSC camp. According to her, field investigations and a retrospective active case search showed no evidence of Lassa fever among corps members or camp officials.
She added that while the public health risk remains low, the state government has intensified surveillance at the camp to ensure early detection and prompt response to any suspected illness. The response team also conducted supportive supervision at the camp clinic and reinforced infection prevention and control measures.
As part of precautionary efforts, Sa’ad said health workers and corps members were sensitised on the symptoms of Lassa fever, the importance of early reporting, and preventive measures. She urged residents to ignore unverified information on social media and rely on official sources for accurate public health updates.
Meanwhile, the NYSC State Coordinator, Olaoluwa Onifade, confirmed that the corps member mentioned in the online reports was ill but had a pre-existing chronic medical condition. He explained that the camp management contacted the corps member’s parents, who subsequently took her to a private health facility where she later died.
Onifade stressed that no laboratory-confirmed case of Lassa fever was reported to the Rapid Response Team during the investigation. He added that there was no evidence of Lassa fever transmission within the NYSC camp and no clusters of febrile illness or symptoms suggestive of the disease among corps members.
The development comes amid a reported increase in Lassa fever cases nationwide. Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) showed that within the first three weeks of 2026, the country recorded 405 suspected cases, with 39 confirmed infections and 17 deaths across several states, including Bauchi, Taraba, Plateau, Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Benue and Nasarawa.
