Lassa fever: in a single week, the NCDC reports 15 new cases and one fatality

Within a week, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced one Lassa fever fatality and confirmed fifteen new cases nationwide.

In a situation report for Week 13 that was posted on its website on Friday, the NCDC stated as much.

Humans can contract Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic infection, by coming into touch with food or household items contaminated by rats or contaminated individuals.

Fever, headache, sore throat, weakness throughout the body, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest discomfort, muscle aches, and, in extreme situations, bleeding from the mouth, nose, ears, eyes, and other body openings without any apparent cause are some of its symptoms.

While the number of suspected cases rose in comparison to the same period in 2023, the NCDC reported a drop in confirmed cases from 25 cases in Week 12 to 15 cases in the reporting week.

The nation had 806 confirmed cases and 150 deaths overall from Week 1 to Week 13. This corresponded to a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.6%, which is higher than the CFR for the same period in 2023 (17.5%).

Twenty-five states and 125 local government units have at least one confirmed case as of 2024.

“Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi accounted for sixty-two percent of all confirmed cases, with Ondo State accounting for twenty-four percent, Edo for twenty-two percent, and Bauchi for sixteen percent,” the report stated.

The study states that the virus primarily afflicted people between the ages of 31 and 40, and that no health workers were infected during the reporting week.

The National Lassa Fever Multi-partner, Multi-sectoral Incident Management System has been turned on, according to the NCDC, to facilitate coordination of the Emergency Operations Center’s reaction at all levels.

The NCDC outlined a few obstacles in the fight against Lassa fever, such as cases that appear later than expected, increasing CFR, and unsatisfactory health-seeking behavior.

The latter was ascribed to inadequate environmental sanitation and awareness in high-burden populations, as well as the high expense of Lassa fever treatment and clinical management.

(NAN)