Ondo State Lassa Fever Prevention and Community Protection Initiative (OLFPCI)

Policy Problem

Lassa fever remains a significant public health threat in Nigeria, with Ondo State consistently among the states affected by the disease. Transmission is associated with exposure to infected rodents, contaminated food and household environments, poor sanitation, delayed health-seeking behaviour, and inadequate infection prevention practices. NCDC has also identified poor environmental sanitation, low community awareness and late presentation as continuing challenges.

Policy Goal

To reduce the incidence, transmission and deaths associated with Lassa fever in Ondo State through strengthened community prevention, environmental sanitation, early detection and rapid response.

Key Policy Actions

1. Community Rodent-Control Programme

Establish regular community-based rodent-control and environmental sanitation campaigns in high-risk communities.

Support households with education on safe food storage, waste disposal and prevention of rodent entry into homes.

2. Lassa Fever Prevention Education in Schools and Communities

Introduce periodic Lassa fever awareness programmes in schools, markets, religious institutions and community gatherings.

Train community health workers and volunteers to deliver prevention messages in local languages.

3. Improved Food and Market Safety

Promote rodent-proof storage of grains and other food commodities.

Strengthen sanitation monitoring in markets and food-processing areas.

Discourage unsafe open drying and storage of food where contamination can occur.

4. Early Detection and Referral

Strengthen Lassa fever surveillance at Primary Health Centres.

Train frontline health workers to identify suspected cases early and ensure immediate referral and reporting through the appropriate surveillance system.

5. Protection of Healthcare Workers

Ensure adequate availability of PPE, infection-prevention materials and training for frontline health workers, particularly in high-risk LGAs.

6. Dedicated Prevention Funding

Establish a dedicated budget line for Lassa fever prevention, community surveillance, environmental sanitation, health education and emergency response in high-burden areas.

7. One Health Coordination

Strengthen collaboration among the health, environment, agriculture, education and local government sectors to address the human, environmental and animal-related factors contributing to Lassa fever transmission.

Proposed Legislative Action

The National Assembly should support a national framework that enables high-burden states such as Ondo to receive targeted funding and technical support for Lassa fever prevention, while requiring measurable state-level prevention plans, surveillance reporting and annual assessment of intervention outcomes.

Expected Outcomes

1. Reduced rodent exposure in high-risk communities.

2. Increased public knowledge of Lassa fever prevention.

3. Earlier detection and referral of suspected cases.

4. Reduced healthcare-worker infections.

5. Improved environmental and food hygiene.

6. Reduction in Lassa fever cases and deaths in Ondo State.

Key Policy Message

Lassa fever prevention should move from an outbreak-response approach to a sustained community prevention strategy, particularly in high-burden states such as Ondo.