NCDC Records 92 Lassa Fever Cases, Reports New Deaths In Bauchi, Ebonyi

Share

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Nigeria’s latest death toll for Lassa Fever from January 2021 currently stands at 92 cases, with Bauchi and Ebonyi states recording new deaths in the country.

In its updated situation report on the disease outbreak, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said on Tuesday that Week 50, covering December 13 to 19, 2021, witnessed three more deaths.

According to the NCDC, the week under review had Bauchi reporting two new fatalities with Ebonyi recording one new death from the disease, adding that “Cumulatively from Week 1 to Week 50, 2021, 92 deaths have been reported with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 20.3 per cent, which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2020 (20.7 per cent).”

The Disease Centre reported that though a total of 190 new cases were suspected in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), only 10 cases were confirmed in four states, which include Edo – two (2); Ondo – four (4); Bauchi – three (3); and Ebonyi – one (1), with two of the cases being healthcare workers.

Similarly, the Centre indicated that the number of new confirmed cases is the same as the figure reported in the previous week, saying; “In total for 2021, 17 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 66 Local Government Areas.”

“Of all confirmed cases, Edo has (43 per cent), Ondo (35 per cent), and Taraba (five per cent). The predominant age group affected is between 21 and 30 years (range: 1 to 70 years, Median Age: 29 years). The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.9. The number of suspected cases has decreased compared to that reported for the same period in 2020,” it added.

Lassa fever is an acute viral illness and a viral haemorrhagic fever first reported in the Lassa community in Borno when two missionary nurses died from an unusual febrile illness. Since then, Nigeria has continued to report cases and outbreaks and the disease is increasingly recognised to be endemic in many parts of West Africa such as Benin Republic, Ghana, Mali and the Mano River region (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea).

The Lassa virus is transmitted to man by infected multi-mammate rats and humans become infected from direct contact with the urine and faeces of the rat carrying the virus. People also contract the disease by touching soiled objects, eating contaminated food, or exposure to open cuts or sores.

Secondary transmission from person to person can also occur as a result of exposure to the virus in the blood, tissue, urine, faeces or other bodily secretions of an infected patient. – With NAN report

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply