The Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said 22 states of the federation recorded 109 deaths from Lassa Fever in January 2023.
The NCDC through its official website on Tuesday said the infection was recorded in 89 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. The natural reservoir for the virus is the Mastomys natalensis mouse, commonly known as the multimammate mouse or African mouse.
The agency said the 22 states include Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, Ebonyi, Kano, Benue, Niger, FCT, Cross River, Adamawa, Gombe, Delta, Bayelsa, Kogi, Nasarawa, Oyo, Plateau, Enugu, Imo, Anambra. and Jigawa.
According to the agency, the country also registered 676 cases of Lassa fever in nine weeks.
“Between February 27 and March 5, 40 cases and five deaths were recorded in five states and 16 LGAs.
“The states are: Ondo -11, Edo -16, Bauchi has five, Taraba – five and Ebonyi – three,” he said.
The agency said five deaths were recorded; two in Ondo, one in Bauchi and two in Ebonyi.
It noted that 72 percent of Lassa fever cases in Nigeria were reported from Ondo, Edo and Bauchi, while 28 percent were from the two states.
“Of the 72 percent, Ondo has 33, Edo 29, and Bauchi 10,” NCDC said.
The agency said that cumulatively, from week one to nine, 109 deaths were reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 16.1 percent, lower than the CFR for the same period in 2022 (18.6).
It is said that the age group affected is between 21 and 30 years (Range: one to 93 years, Median Age: 32 years) while the male to female ratio for cases is 1:0.8.
“The number of suspected cases increased compared to reporters at the same time in 2022. One new health worker was affected in the reporting week of nine,” he said.
The NCDC added that a national, multi-sectoral Lassa fever multi-partner Emergency Operations Center has been activated to coordinate response activities.
Other rodents can also be carriers of the virus.
The virus is spread through direct contact with urine, feces, saliva or blood of infected mice, contact with objects, household items and surfaces contaminated with urine, feces, saliva, or blood of infected mice.
It can also be transmitted by consuming food or water contaminated with the urine, feces, saliva or blood of infected rats.
Person-to-person transmission can also occur through contact with the blood, urine, feces, vomit, and other bodily fluids of an infected person.