The Kwara State Government has dismissed rumours circulating on social media about alleged Lassa fever deaths at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp, assuring the public that no outbreak has been recorded at the facility.
The clarification followed an immediate investigation by the Kwara State Rapid Response Team (RRT), led by the State Epidemiologist, Dr Kamaldeen Khadeejah, after a viral social media post on Sunday, 8th February 2026, claimed that a corps member had died from suspected Lassa fever at the camp.
Following a comprehensive field investigation and retrospective active case search, the RRT found no evidence of Lassa fever amongst corps members or camp officials. Dr Khadeejah stated that whilst the current public health risk remains low, disease surveillance has been intensified at the camp to ensure early detection and swift response to any suspected illness.
The NYSC State Coordinator, Mr Olaoluwa Onifade, corroborated these findings, explaining that the corps member mentioned in the social media post had been suffering from a pre-existing chronic condition. He disclosed that camp management contacted the corps member's parent, who transferred her to an external health facility on 1st February 2026, where she unfortunately died on 7th February 2026.
"There has been no laboratory confirmation of Lassa fever reported to the Rapid Response Team as at the time of the investigation," Mr Onifade stated. Dr Khadeejah urged residents to disregard unverified reports on social media and rely exclusively on information from official government sources.
