Nigeria records five deaths, 40 new infections

Nigeria has confirmed 40 new Lassa fever infections and five deaths in a week, from February 27 to March 5.

At Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) announced in the latest situation report published on Tuesday on its website for the ninth week, noting that the number of new confirmed cases decreased from 59 in the eighth week to 40 cases.

The report indicated that new cases were reported from Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, and Ebonyi states.

NCDC noted that cumulatively from week one to week nine, 109 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 16.1 percent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2022 (18.6 percent).

According to the NCDC, 22 states have recorded at least one confirmed case in 89 Local Government Areas, with 72 percent of all confirmed cases reported from the three states of Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi.

The disease control center noted that Ondo State has so far accounted for 33 percent of all confirmed cases, while Edo and Bauchi accounted for 29 and 10 percent respectively.

In addition, the number of suspected cases has increased compared to those reported in the same period in 2022, adding that there are new health workers affected during the reporting week.

Lassa fever

Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease (profuse bleeding) that is transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rats or contaminated people.
Symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, chest pain, and in severe cases, bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other openings of the body that cannot be stopped. explained.

Also read: Lassa fever: Death toll in Nigeria to reach 104 in 2023

The NCDC added in its report that the challenges in responding to Lassa fever in the country include the late presentation of cases that lead to an increase in CFR, low health-seeking behavior due to the cost of treatment and clinical management of the infection, poor environment. sanitary conditions, and poor awareness observed in high-burden communities.