Lagos  State  has recorded it’s first case of Lassa fever which has been found in 19 other states of the country.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement early Wednesday confirmed that the patient is currently in isolation at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

The commissioner asked members of the public to ensure and maintain  adequate personal hygiene and environmental sanitation at all times as part of prevention and control measures against the spread of the disease in the state.

He assured the residents that the state government, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, was doing everything possible to control the spread of the disease in the state.

“Members of the public are further advised to avoid contact with rats, to always cover their food and water properly, cook all their food thoroughly, as well as block all holes in the septic tanks and holes through which rats can enter the house and clear rat hideouts within the premises.

“Isolation wards have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases. Drugs and other materials have also been prepositioned at designated facilities while health workers have been placed on red alert and community sensitisation activities intensified,” he said.