Lassa fever in Nigeria: 29 deaths were confirmed in 11 states
Competent authorities in 11 states of Nigeria have reported around 195 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 29 deaths. In response to the increasing number of patients in different countries in the country, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has activated a National Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate responses. The Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who announced this on Friday, found that 89% of the confirmed cases come from the states of Ondo, Edo and Ebonyi. However, he also emphasized that the number of infected people at the current time of the year is not unusual for ecological reasons.
Cases of Lassa fever
The Nigerian endemic virus belongs to the same family as the Ebola and Marburg viruses, but is far less fatal. The disease is transmitted through contact with rat droppings or urine. Symptoms begin with fever and, in the worst case, can lead to severe bleeding and organ failure. Nigeria reported an outbreak of the epidemic a year ago, and around 170 people died from the virus in 2019. The number of cases usually increases in January due to weather conditions during the dry season.
Almost 90 percent of the recently confirmed cases concerned the southern part of the country, but there were also deaths in the north. The NCDC announced that the mortality rate had dropped from 23.4 percent in the previous year to 14.8 percent. It encouraged Nigerians to “practice good hygiene and take measures to protect themselves and their families”. In the past three weeks, the NCDC had deployed Rapid Response Teams to support five of the affected countries. The Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire led a high-level delegation to Kano on January 25, 2020 following the deaths of two health workers infected with Lassa fever.
Take countermeasures
“Nigeria is involved in research and other activities to develop a vaccine against Lassa fever. The NCDC and the country's three main treatment centers, the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, the Federal Medical Center Owo and the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakalilki-, will begin epidemiological studies on Lassa fever.
“The Nigeria Center for Disease Control remains committed to protecting Nigerian health. It is important for the public to pay attention to good hygiene and to take measures to protect themselves and their families, ”he added.
Lassa fever is therefore endemic in Nigeria and cases are recorded all year round. The virus is transmitted by rodents that are ubiquitous in the country. This contributes significantly to the risk of spreading in Nigeria and other countries with similar ecological factors.
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