Ondo, Edo, 3 other states record fresh Lassa fever cases

Five states, namely Ondo, Edo, Kogi, Ebonyi and Imo, have been hit by fresh cases of Lassa fever.

This is according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which announced fresh 13 cases of Lassa fever recorded within seven days in the affected states.

The agency said, since 2022,  three states have had majority of the cases. These are Ondo (31 per cent), Edo (26 per cent), and Bauchi (13 per cent). Nigeria has so far recorded 165 deaths across 17 states.

”In week 31 (Aug. 1 to 7), the number of new confirmed cases increased from 10 in week 30, 2022 to 13 cases. These were reported from Ondo, Edo, Kogi, Ebonyi and Imo states.

“Cumulatively from week 1 to week 31, 2022, 165 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.8 per cent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (23.1 per cent).

“In total for 2022, 25 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 100 Local Government Areas.

“Of all confirmed cases, 70 per cent are from Ondo (31 per cent), Edo (26 per cent), and Bauchi (13 per cent) States”.

The NCDC stated that the predominant age group affected were 21-30 years (Range. zero to 90 years, Median Age: 30 years.

It said that the male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases was 1:0.8.

“The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021.

“No new Healthcare worker affected in the reporting week 31,” it said.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus. People usually become infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected rats – present in several West African countries where the disease is endemic.

The virus could also be spread through infected bodily fluids.