Lassa fever: NCDC records 42 new cases in one week

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported 42 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever in five states across the country.

This represents a 43 percent decrease from the figure reported in the previous week.

Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic disease, is transmitted to humans through contact with food, household items contaminated by infected rodents or contaminated persons.

According to the NCDC’s situation report for January 24 to January 30, Ondo topped the list of states that recorded new cases with 15 new infections, followed by Bauchi with 14, and Edo with 10.

Other states that reported new infections include Enugu (2), and Delta (1).

The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases recorded in 2022 to 211.

The agency also said six people died from the disease during the week under review.

“Cumulatively, from week 1 to week 4, 2022, 40 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 19.0% which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (22.2%),” the report reads.

“In total for 2022, 14 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 43 Local Government Areas.

“Of all confirmed cases, 82% are from Ondo (30%), Edo (27%) and Bauchi (25%) States.

“The predominant age-group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 1 to 80 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 affected in the reporting week 4.”