Tragic Lassa fever: 411 cases and 72 fatalities in just 6 weeks according to the NCDC

Out of 411 confirmed cases and 72 fatalities caused by Lassa fever in 21 federation states from week one to week six of 2024, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

Newly confirmed cases jumped from 70 in week five to 83 in week six, with nine deaths recorded in week six (February 5 to February 11), according to the NCDC, which made the announcement on Thursday on its official website.

The states of Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi accounted for 65% of the confirmed cases, according to the FDA, while 17 states reported 35%.

In 2024, there were 2,122 suspected instances, which is lower than the 8,280 cases reported during the same period in 2023, according to the agency.

According to the study, two new health professionals were infected with Lassa fever during the reporting week, and the most common age group affected was 21–30 years old.

In order to coordinate action at all levels at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System was launched, according to the NCDC.

The late presentation of cases and poor health-seeking behavior owing to the high cost of treatment and clinical care were among the issues highlighted by the agency as obstacles in its fight against Lassa fever across the country.

It also mentioned that high-burden populations often have poor environmental cleanliness and a lack of knowledge as additional difficulties.

According to the furucinovel, Lassa fever is a severe viral hemorrhagic disease that can infect humans through contaminated food or household objects that have been handled by sick rodents or infected people.

In severe instances, it can cause unexplained bleeding from various regions of the body, including the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. Other symptoms include a fever, headache, sore throat, generalized weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pains, and chest pain.