Lassa Fever infects 26,578 in Nigeria

• FG declares emergency as 129 persons are reported dead 

Over 26,578 persons have been declared infested by Lassa Fever epidemic in 21 states of the Nigerian federation. National Daily inquiry revealed that the rapid spread of the deadly disease has compelled the federal government to declare an emergency in tackling the spread of Lassa Fever across the country.

Accordingly, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) declared a state of the emergency on the outbreak of Lassa Fever outbreak across the country.

The Director General, NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu; and the Officer-in-Charge, World Health Organisation Nigeria, (WHO), Clement Peter, in a joint statement, indicated that the ’emergency phase’ of the 2019 Lassa fever outbreak was declared following a joint epidemiological review by NCDC, WHO Nigeria and other partners after four and a half months of the trying to contain the epidemic ravaging 21 states in Nigeria which has caused 129 deaths.

It was highlighted that 26,578 cases of Lassa fever were confirmed between January and May 2019, degenerating into 129 deaths in 21 states.

It was, however, noted that the figure showed an improvement from the 2018 record when about 1968 suspected Lassa fever cases with 431 laboratory confirmed cases and 158 deaths were recorded in 141 local government areas in 29 states between January and May.