Lassa Fever: Foundation Canvasses Adherence To Preventive Measures
Lassa Fever: Case Toll Jumps To 92, As New Deaths Recorded In Bauchi, Ebonyi

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC says death toll for Lassa fever from January 2021 has jumped to 92, with Bauchi and Ebonyi States recording new deaths.

The Centre made this known in its latest situation report on the outbreak of the disease in the country. According to the NCDC, week 50, which covered December 13 to 19, revealed that three more deaths were reported in the week under review.

While Bauchi reported two new fatalities, Ebonyi recorded one new death from the disease.

It explained that cumulatively from Week 1 to Week 50, 2021, 92 deaths have been reported with a Case Fatality Rate, CFR of 20.3 per cent, which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2020 20.7 per cent.

Lassa fever is an acute viral illness and a viral haemorrhagic fever first reported in the Lassa community in Borno when two missionary nurses died from an unusual febrile illness.

Since then, Nigeria has continued to report cases and outbreaks and the disease is increasingly recognised to be endemic in many parts of West Africa such as Benin Republic, Ghana, Mali and the Mano River region (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea).

The agency noted that a total of 190 new cases were suspected in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, but just 10 cases were confirmed in four states.

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