EXPERTS, in a new study, have warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is masking the deadlier Lassa fever epidemic in Nigeria, urging that prevention and control measures should be observed so as to avoid outbreak of any of the infections.
The experts, in a 2020 online study published in the Journal of Clinical Virology, added that for robust and effective containments of the two viruses, Nigeria needs to adequately equip its health centres with available, contemporary and functional diagnostic facilities and kits.
They decried the Federal Government’s, alongside the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), singular focus on the COVID-19 outbreak while neglecting the increasing cases of Lassa fever, a disease with a higher fatality across the country.
According to them, the simultaneously increasing cases of COVID-19 and Lassa fever infections across Nigeria would be catastrophic unless infection prevention and control measures towards both outbreaks are given similar attention.
They advised that urgent public health enlightenment campaigns to stem wild misconceptions regarding COVID-19 and Lassa fever across Nigeria are needed.
According to them, “Like with COVID-19, Nigeria has been battling with Lassa fever (LF), a more severe, zoonotic and viral haemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus. Currently, Nigeria has recorded 4,622 suspected cases of Lassa fever with 991 confirmed cases and 191 deaths as of May 8, 2020. These cases spread across 128 local government areas of 27 states with the case fatality ratio (CFR) of 19.3 per cent.
“Nigeria’s healthcare system has inadequately managed the recurring Lassa fever outbreaks in previous years with grossly inadequate diagnostic kits and referral centres, high mortality involving health professionals and poor surveillance and management.
“Since the management of COVID-19 and Lassa fever cases in Nigeria demands shared clinical and laboratory facilities, confronting COVID-19 and Lassa fever simultaneously will add severe diagnostic difficulties to the poor and inadequate facilities available.
“Although a majority of Lassa fever infected persons are asymptomatic, severe cases are characterised by febrile illness associated with severe diarrhea, hemorrhage (bleeding) and multiple organ dysfunction with patients in dire need of healthcare facilities alongside COVID-19 patients.
“Most importantly, although no cases of COVID-19 and Lassa fever co-infection have been reported among patients, the possibility of such occurrence cannot be precluded.”
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