The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 358 Lassa fever recorded across 19 states in 2022, as it has also caused three deaths in Britain.
The NCDC via its verified website, revealed this on Wednesday as it said that in week six, the number of new confirmed cases of Lassa fever increased from 58 in week five, 2022 to 77 cases.
The world has not overcome the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, which took a toll on human lives and now, there is another cause of concern, the Lassa fever which has taken the lives of three people in Britain till now.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in a statement on February 11, has confirmed the number of deaths. The health agency said the three cases were within the same family in the East of England and were linked to recent travel to West Africa.
Prior to these three cases, there have been eight cases of Lassa fever imported to the UK since 1980. The last two cases occurred in 2009. There was no evidence of onward transmission from any of these cases.
As Nigeria continue to see recent outbreaks of Lassa fever and some parts of Africa, making a pandemic-wary world even more jittery. As there is currently no vaccine that protects against Lassa fever.
The Public Health institute noted that the additional cases in week six were reported from; Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Taraba, Enugu, Benue, Kogi, Nassarawa, Niger and the FCT.
It stated that cumulatively from week one to week six, 2022, 59 deaths have been registered with a case fatality rate (CFR), of 16.5 per cent in the country.
It, therefore, noted that the 16.5 per cent CFR was lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021, which was 22.9 per cent.
“In total for 2022, 19 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 65, Local Government Areas.
“Of all confirmed cases, 73 per cent are from Ondo 32 per cent, Edo 23 per cent and Bauchi 18 per cent states.
“The predominant age- group affected is21-30years (Range:1 to 80 years, median age: 30years). The male to female ratio confirmed cases is 1: 0.8. The number of suspected cases has increased compared to 2021 reported for the same period,” it explained.
The NCDC also disclosed that seven new health workers were affected. Noting that there were from Bauchi, Ondo and Edo states in week six.
The health institute noted that it was currently distributing medical response commodities to states and treatment centres.
The NCDC stated that people can become infected by Lassa fever if they come in contact with food items that have been contaminated with the urine or faeces of an infected rat.
It, however, added that human to human transmission was rare but can occur through contact with the body fluids of an infected person.
“Symptoms typically appear between one and three weeks after exposure to the virus. In mild cases, the disease causes fever, fatigue, weakness and headache.
“More severe symptoms include bleeding, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back and abdomen and shock,” it added.
The NCDC said that supportive care including rehydration and symptomatic treatment can improve chances of survival.
The agency advised Nigerians to avoid any contact with rats to prevent getting infected. Storing food in rat-proof containers and using rat traps were also advised.
The disease was first discovered in 1969 in Nigeria and is named after the town where the first cases were reported.
It is known to be endemic in Nigeria, along with its neighbouring countries including Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, and Sierra Leone.
Lassa fever is an animal-borne acute viral illness, belonging to the virus family Arenaviridae, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
Between 100,000 and 300,000 infections of Lassa fever annually, leading to an estimated 5,000 deaths, as per data published on the website of the United States CDC.
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