1. The outbreak described as fatal febrile rash illnesses started sometime in January 2016, and had brought panic to the community dominated by the Eguns in Otodo Gbame community in Eti-Osa LGA, area of Lagos State.
2. Affected children were said to have developed rashes which was similar to the symptoms of measles, and died two to three days after infection.
3. Children who have been reportedly killed are said to have been between eight months.
4. Blood samples (and throat swabs) from the patients and water samples from the community have been taken to the Virology Reference Laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Lagos State Drug Quality Control Laboratory (DQCL), LASUTH, Ikeja respectively, while the World Health Organisation has been notified.
5. The source of the infection is still unknown but is currently under investigation.
6. The affected community is said to be an expansive, sandy riverine, flood prone and camp-lie settlements with an estimated population of 100,000 people.
7. According to the Lagos state health commissioner, the first death occurred on January 6, 2016, “but the community would not alert the health authorities of the outbreak on time”.
The government of Lagos has assured that efforts were on to conduct comprehensive supplemental immunization for all childhood preventable diseases in the community.
