Lassa fever deaths hit 176, cases now 958

The number of Lassa fever cases in Nigeria has increased to 958 as of October 30, 2022.

This was revealed in the Lassa fever situation report for week 43 by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report revealed that the disease has claimed 176 lives so far this year.

According to the report, 71 percent of all confirmed cases were recorded in Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states.

The report also noted that the suspected cases of the disease have hit 7,183.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses.

The report read in part, “In week 43, the number of new confirmed cases increased from 7 in week 42 to 10 cases in 2022. These were reported from Edo, Ondo, and Cross River States.

“Cumulatively from week 1 to week 43 in 2022, 176 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate of 18.4 per cent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (22.1 per cent).

“In total for 2022, 26 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 106 local government areas.

“Of all confirmed cases, 71 per cent are from Ondo (33 per cent), Edo (25 per cent), and Bauchi (13 per cent) states.

“The predominant age group affected is 21–30 years old (range: 0–90 years, median age: 30 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.8.

“The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021. No new healthcare worker was affected in the reporting week 43.

“National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Technical Working Group continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels.”