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Nigeria: 103 die of Lassa fever in 16 states
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday said 103 people have died of Lassa fever since its outbreak last December 30.
The figure is from 16 states, namely: Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, Enugu, Abia, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Sokoto and Katsina.
The number of confirmed cases this year stands at 586, NCDC said.
The report, released yesterday in Abuja, says Edo has the highest burden of confirmed cases at 35 per cent, followed by Ondo at 32 per cent, and Ebonyi at six per cent.
In total for this year, 26 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 101 local government areas.
The report says: “Cumulatively from week one to week 07, 2020, 103 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.6 per cent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2019 (21.1 per cent).
“The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (range: <1 to 78 years, median age: 33 years). The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:1.2.
“The number of suspected cases has significantly increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2019.”
The report adds that two new healthcare workers were affected in Bauchi and Katsina states in reporting week 07.
The Lagos State Government yesterday confirmed a case of Lassa fever outbreak in the state, saying the patient has been isolated.
Health Commissioner Prof. Akin Abayomi said in a statement that the patient was in isolation ward at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
He said the government, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC, was working to stem the spread of the disease.
“The Ministry of Health, through Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate, is carrying out ‘contact tracing’ to determine those who may have been infected in line with the international standards, while we beef up our other surveillance strategies,” Abayomi said.
The commissioner urged health workers, as well as citizens to report a suspected case or cases of the disease to the nearest government-approved health facility, the Ministry of Health or call the emergency operation centre lines: 08023169485, 08033565529 and 08052817243.
The commission said the confirmed index had contact with 63 people since his arrival in Lagos from Ebonyi.
