According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the number of confirmed Lassa fever cases has increased to 933 as of October 2, 2022.

The Lassa fever outbreak has killed about 173 people in the country so far in the year.

The Situation Report for week 39 obtained on Saturday showed that the cases were reported in 25 states and 102 Local Government Areas.

The NCDC stated that of all confirmed cases, 71 per cent are from Ondo (32 per cent), Edo (26 per cent), and Bauchi (13 per cent) states.

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever and an acute viral illness. This zoonotic disease has a high morbidity and mortality rate, as well as economic and health security implications.

The report read in part, “In week 39, the number of new confirmed cases decreased from 6 cases reported in week 38, 2022 to 4 cases. These were reported from Ondo and Enugu States.

“Cumulatively from week 1 to week 39, 2022, 173 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.5 per cent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (22.8 per cent).

“In total for 2022, 25 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 102 Local Government Areas”, the statement buttressed.

“Of all confirmed cases, 71 per cent are from Ondo (32 per cent), Edo (26 per cent), and Bauchi (13 per cent) States.

The statement further stated the predominantly affected age group to be between 21-30 years.

“The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 0 to 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 affected in the reporting week 39″, the report stated further.

“National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels”, it concluded.

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