Lassa fever claims 119 lives in 3 months

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has indicated in its latest report on the outbreak of Lassa fever that 15 new cases were recorded between March 18 and 24, 2019 in Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Plateau and Ebonyi.

Five of these ended in deaths in three of the states.

The NCDC said 119 deaths had been recorded so far around the country, stressing that the new figure of reported cases brought to 1,924 the number of cases recorded between January 1, 2019 and March 24, 2019.

The agency said, “From January 1 to March 24, 2019, a total of 1,924 suspected cases have been reported from 21 states. Of these, 510 were confirmed positive, 15 probable and 1,511 negative (not a case). Since the onset of the 2019 outbreak, there have been 119 deaths in confirmed cases. Case fatality ratio in confirmed cases is 22.9 per cent.

“Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Kwara, Benue, Rivers, Kogi, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Oyo, Kebbi, Cross River states and the Federal Capital Territory have recorded at least one confirmed case across 74 local government areas.

“No new health care worker was affected in the reporting week. A total of 16 health care workers have been infected since the onset of the outbreak in seven states. The states are Edo, Ondo, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers, Bauchi and Benue with two deaths in Enugu and Edo states.”

The NCDC said 32 patients were being managed at various treatment centres across the country.

The treatment centres are located in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre, Owo, and Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki. Others are located in Bauchi, Plateau, and Taraba states