The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a total of 1,025 confirmed cases of Lassa fever from January 1 to October 6, 2024.
This comes from 8,484 suspected cases across 28 states and 128 local government areas nationwide. The outbreak has resulted in 174 fatalities, leading to a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 17.0%.
This data was released in the Lassa fever situation report for week 40, obtained from the NCDC on Wednesday. According to the World Health Organization, Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family.
Infection typically occurs through exposure to food or household items contaminated by the urine or feces of infected Mastomys rats, which are endemic in parts of West Africa.
The report indicated that Lassa fever is endemic in several countries, including Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria. Person-to-person transmission and laboratory-related infections can also occur, especially in healthcare settings lacking proper infection prevention measures.
In week 40, new confirmed cases dropped from nine in the previous week to seven, with reported cases in Ondo and Edo States. Cumulatively, from week 1 to week 40 of 2024, the report shows that 174 deaths have been recorded, maintaining the same CFR as during the same period in 2023.
Notably, 68% of confirmed cases are concentrated in Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states, with Ondo reporting the highest percentage at 28%, followed by Edo at 23% and Bauchi at 17%.
The affected population is predominantly aged 31 to 40, with a median age of 32 years. The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases stands at 1:1. Additionally, the number of suspected cases has increased compared to the previous year.
The NCDC emphasizes that the National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Technical Working Group continues to coordinate response activities at all levels to combat the ongoing outbreak effectively.
