Lassa fever cases now 994, Ondo, Edo lead

The number of confirmed Lassa fever cases in Nigeria has risen to 994 while the death toll has increased to 178.

This is according to the Lassa fever situation report for week 47 obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the number of suspected cases in the country so far is 7,590, which is higher than the suspected cases for the same period in 2021.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses.

The NCDC report read in part, “In week 47, the number of new confirmed cases is the same as reported in week 46, 2022 with four cases. These were reported from Ondo, Edo, and Nasarawa States.

“Cumulatively from week 1 to week 47, 2022, 178 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate of 17.9 per cent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (20.9 per cent).

“In total for 2022, 26 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 108 local government areas.

“Of all confirmed cases, 71 per cent are from Ondo (33 per cent), Edo (26 per cent), and Bauchi (12 per cent) states.

“The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 0 to 90 years, Median Age: 30 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.8.

“The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021. “No new Healthcare worker was affected in the reporting week 47.

“National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels.”