The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 15 new cases of Lassa fever and one death within a week across the country, according to a situation report for Week 13 published on its website on Friday.
Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic illness transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated rodents, food, or household items.
Symptoms of Lassa fever include fever, headache, sore throat, weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplained bleeding from various body openings.
The report noted a decrease in confirmed cases from 25 in Week 12 to 15 cases in Week 13, although the number of suspected cases increased compared to the same period in 2023.
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Cumulatively, from Week one to 13, the country recorded 806 confirmed cases and 150 deaths, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.6%, higher than the CFR for the same period in 2023 (17.5%).
Twenty-five states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 125 local government areas in 2024.
Sixty-two percent of all confirmed cases were recorded from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states, with Ondo State accounting for 24%, Edo 22%, and Bauchi 16%.
No health worker was infected in the reporting week, and individuals aged 31 to 40 were predominantly affected by the infection.
The NCDC activated the National Lassa Fever Multi-partner, Multi-sectoral Incident Management System to coordinate response efforts through the Emergency Operations Centre.
Challenges in combating Lassa fever include late presentation of cases leading to increased CFR, poor health-seeking behavior due to high treatment costs and inadequate clinical management, and poor environmental sanitation and awareness in high-burden communities.
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