Rédaction Africa Links 24 with George Ogala
Published on 2024-03-11 14:35:34
Nigeria has reported a total of 96 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 23 deaths in the span of one week, from February 19 to February 25, across 12 states. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) released this information in its latest situation report for week eight of 2024. The report indicates an increase from 66 cases in the previous week to 96 cases, with six new health workers being affected during this period.
Cumulatively, the report shows that Nigeria has recorded 573 confirmed cases and 108 deaths from Lassa fever from week one to week eight of 2024, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.8 percent. This CFR is higher than in the same period in 2023, which had a CFR of 16.4 percent.
The breakdown provided in the report indicates that 24 states have reported at least one confirmed case across 93 local government areas in 2024. The majority of confirmed cases, 64 percent, were recorded in three states: Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi, while the remaining 36 percent were spread across 21 states. Specifically, Edo accounted for 26 percent of cases, Ondo 23 percent, and Bauchi 15 percent. The report also highlights that individuals between the ages of 31-40 years are predominantly affected by the disease.
The National Lassa Fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System has been activated to coordinate the response at all levels through the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
The report from the NCDC identifies several challenges in the fight against Lassa fever, including late presentation of cases leading to an increase in the CFR, poor health-seeking behavior due to the high cost of treatment, poor environmental sanitation in high-burden communities, and lack of awareness among these communities.
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated food, household items, or infected rodents. Symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplained bleeding from various body openings.
In response to the ongoing outbreak, the NCDC is working to address these challenges and mitigate the spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria. It is crucial for the public to be aware of the symptoms and transmission methods of Lassa fever to prevent further infections and protect the health of individuals in affected regions.
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