The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced the occurrence of one fatality and the verification of 15 fresh instances of lassa fever within the span of a week nationwide.
This update was provided in the weekly situation report for week 13, published on the NCDC’s website on Friday.
Lassa fever is a severe viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted to humans via contact with contaminated food, household objects, or individuals infected by rodents.
Symptoms encompass fever, headache, throat discomfort, overall weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplained bleeding from various body openings.
Despite a decrease in confirmed cases from 25 in week 12 to 15 in the current reporting week, there was an uptick in suspected cases compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
Over the course of weeks one through 13, the country has registered 806 confirmed cases and 150 fatalities, reflecting a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.6 percent, surpassing the CFR recorded during the same timeframe in 2023 (17.5 percent).
“Twenty-five states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 125 local government areas in 2024.
“Sixty-two per cent of all confirmed cases were recorded from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi, with Ondo State accounting for 24 per cent, Edo 22 per cent, and Bauchi 16 per cent,” it said.
According to the report, there were no reported infections among health workers during the week under review, with individuals aged 31 to 40 being the most affected by the illness.
The NCDC announced the activation of the National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Incident Management System to coordinate response efforts at all levels through the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
The NCDC pointed out several challenges in the battle against Lassa fever, including delayed presentation of cases resulting in increased Case Fatality Rate (CFR) and inadequate health-seeking behavior.
The latter was attributed to factors such as the high cost associated with the treatment and clinical management of Lassa fever, as well as inadequate environmental sanitation and awareness in communities with high disease burden.