The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said Nigeria has so far recorded 120 deaths from Lassa fever since the beginning of 2022.
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, stated this at the bi-monthly press briefing of the Ministry of Health in Abuja as he also warned Nigerians not to relent in being cautious of Covid-19 despite a seeming decline in case fatalities and the review of the travel restrictions.
“As of last week, we had 659 confirmed cases of Lassa fever in over 23 states and sadly with a case fatality rate of 19 p[er cent, which is about 120 deaths so far. We also recorded about 2 cases and further deaths in healthcare workers which continues to be a form of distress to the response team,” Dr Adetifa said.
Adetifa said that the agency had also published public health advisories on Lassa Fever via its website stressing that as of last week, Nigeria recorded 659 confirmed cases of Lassa Fever in over 23 states, with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.7 per cent.
“This warranted the activation of the National Lassa Fever EOC to Level 2 and a multi-sectoral National Rapid Response Team deployed to FCT, Nasarawa, Edo, Oyo, Ondo, Bauchi, Benue, Taraba, Ebonyi, response commodities.
Adetifa, also said the agency was working to strengthen sub-national disease surveillance systems in the country as he emphasized that outbreak detection needed a system to successfully identify an epidemic at the earliest possible stage through complete and timely reported data.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Bandits Storm Kaduna Airport, Stop Aircraft From Taking Off
- Lagos Socialite Who Distributed Petrol As Souvenir Sentenced To Two Years Imprisonment, Gets Fine Option
He added that “currently, the agency has increased Rapid Diagnosis Test (RDT ) due to an ongoing surge testing project in Ekiti, Sokoto, Kebbi, Abia, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Edo and Ondo states.
“Data had continued to inform the agency’s decision-making and it would continue to keep Nigerians informed, noting that “there are changes, including what the agency has done with the new COVID-19 travel protocol guidelines.”
He, however, encouraged Nigerians to take the COVID-19 vaccine, saying “it is important to receive your COVID-19 vaccine if you are yet to do so.
“This is our best chance at getting back to normalcy as soon as possible as a country and we must work collaboratively to ensure it is done in the quickest possible time frame.”
“Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Ribavirin, Information, Education and Communication materials were also deployed to affected states, as well as the airing of jingles to increase awareness and prevention of this infectious disease in the country.”
He disclosed that NCDC was keeping an eye on Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreaks on the country’s borders in the north and also investigating reports in Zamfara.
Meanwhile, In his presentation on tuberculosis update so far in the country, the Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), Dr Chukwuma Anyaike also said that the management of TB in children was characterised by difficulties due to both peculiarities of children and the disease.
Anayaike also said that “with detailed clinical assessment and examination of the necessary specimen, in addition to strict adherence to the guidelines of the national TB control programme, more cases of TB in children can be prevented, diagnosed, treated and reported.”
Anayaike, therefore, maintained these disturbing statistics called for a change in narrative of the country’s child TB scourge, stressing the need for concerted response from stakeholders.
He said “we now have a National Steering Committee for Childhood TB, which will now be the central advisory body of the Programme.
“It consists of representatives from donor partners in the programme and includes vast expertise in TB research, academia and staff of NTBLCP.”
The national coordinator said that the capacities of paediatricians and medical officers were being built in the country to improve early diagnosis and prompt treatment of childhood TB.
“We are improving clinical diagnosis by introducing portable digital chest x-ray machines with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“The Global Fund is supporting this with USAID. The drug formula for children has improved.”
Anyaike said that the programme was also collaborating with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to improve BCG immunisation to primarily protect children from TB, Leprosy and even Buruli ulcer.
Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, represented by a Director in the Agency, Dr Nneka Onu who gave an update on the vaccine drive, said there are over 28 million vaccine stock balance in the reserves.
She noted that the Primary healthcare summit held last week has started yielding positive results as most private sector organisations had begun to respond to their commitments.
For the Coordinator of, the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), Dr Chukwuma Anyeike, there was need to increase investment on the diagnostics platform to improve case findings.
On improving manpower in the health sector, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, announced a new department of the Public-Private Partnership Diaspora Unit, headed by Lawal Bala to oversee the knowledge and skill repatriation from Nigerian medical practitioners abroad.