Lassa fever, according to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), has claimed the lives of 151 people in 26 states since the start of this year.
In a situation report issued yesterday, the NCDC stated that 4,555 suspected cases and 869 confirmed disease cases were reported during that time frame.
The states mentioned are Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, Benue, Plateau, Ebonyi, Nassarawa, Kogi, Taraba, Gombe, Enugu, Kano, Jigawa, Oyo, and FCT.
The report said, “Cumulatively, from week 1 to week 14, 2023, 151 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.4%, which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2022 (19.3%).
“In total, for 2023, 26 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 101 local government areas.”
It said 71 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from these three states: Ondo, Edo and Bauchi, while 29 per cent were reported from three states with confirmed Lassa fever cases.
The report said that the number of new confirmed cases in week 14 was 23.
The NCDC said of the 869 Lassa fever cases confirmed this year, the predominant age group affected was 21–30 years.
It said the number of suspected cases increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2022.
It said no new healthcare worker was affected in reporting week 14.
