BREAKING: NCDC Records 1,025 Lassa Fever Cases, 174 Deaths

• Over one thousand cases of Lassa Fever has been confirmed by the NSCDC.

• According to NSCDC reports, a total of 174 Deaths have also been recorded in different states in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC has confirmed over one thousand confirmed cases of Lassa Fever in the country.

According to reports from the agency, a total of 8,484 suspected cases have been reported between January 1 and October 6, 2024, across 28 states and 128 local government areas nationwide.

Out of the suspected cases the agency recorded 1,025 confirmed Lassa Fever cases, and 174 deaths, with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 17.0 per cent.

This information is according to the Lassa fever situation report for week 40, obtained from the NCDC on Wednesday.

While educating people, the World Health Organization, WHO explained that Lassa Fever is a kind of haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses.

It added that humana contact this sickness through exposure to food contaminated with urine and faeces of rats, mostly in West Africa.

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WHO stated,

Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in healthcare settings in the absence of adequate infection prevention and control measures,”

The NSCDC, also reported that in Week 40, it recorded a decrease in the number of confirmed cases, which dropped from mine to seven, with cases reported in Ondo and Edo States.

“Cumulatively, from week 1 to week 40, 2024, 174 deaths have been reported with a CFR of 17.0 per cent, which is the same CFR as for the corresponding period in 2023. In total for 2024, 28 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 128 local government areas.

“Sixty-eight per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from these three states (Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi), while 32 per cent were reported from 25 other states with confirmed Lassa fever cases. Of the 68 per cent of confirmed cases, Ondo reported 28 per cent, Edo 23 per cent, and Bauchi 17 per cent.

“The predominant age group affected is 31-40 years (range: 1 to 98 years, median age: 32 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:1. The number of suspected cases increased compared to the same period in 2023,” the report stated.