Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that Edo, Ondo and Bauchi are states that are worst hit by the outbreak of Lassa Fever just as it said it has registered new cases and 20 deaths across 16 states in one week.
According to the NCDC, the period spanned from February 26 to March 3.
The NCDC, via its official website, said that for week nine of 2024, there was an increase in the confirmed cases from 96, in week eight.
The agency said that in spite of the efforts it is making, the country has continued to face new cases and fatalities, underscoring the persistent threat posed by Lassa fever.
It revealed that the country registered 109 cases in one week. ‘‘Cumulatively, the report shows that from week one to nine, Nigeria recorded 682 confirmed cases and 128 deaths, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.8 percent, which is higher than the CFR for the same period in 2023 at 16.1 percent.’’
It also said that the number of suspected cases increased, compared to that reported for the same period in 2023, adding that eight new healthcare workers were affected in the week nine reporting.
The agency said that the states affected were Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Benue, Ebonyi, Kogi, Kaduna, Taraba, Enugu, Delta, Jigawa, Adamawa, Anambra, Rivers, Ogun and Oyo. The situation report noted that 62 percent of all the confirmed cases were reported from Ondo, Edo and Bauchi, while 38 percent were from 24 states.
It stated that the predominant age group affected was 31 to 40 years, while the male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.9.
The public health agency said that the National Lassa Fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System had been activated to coordinate response at all levels at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
Truth Live News Media reports that Lassa Fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic (excessive bleeding) illness that is transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents or contaminated persons.
Its symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings.