The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says Ondo, Edo and Bauchi states accounted for six new additional Lassa fever cases reported in the country.
The NCDC via its official website said that Ondo accounted for 32 per cent, Edo 26 per cent and Bauchi 13 per cent of the recorded cases between September 12 and September 18, 2022.
Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by rats. It is found predominantly in West Africa and has the potential to cause tens of thousands of deaths.
Individuals usually become infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected rats. Lassa fever virus could also be spread through infected bodily fluids.
The agency disclosed that the three states account for 71 per cent of the burden of infections in the country.
In addition, it stated that this brings the total number of confirmed cases in 2022 to 923, with 171 deaths with a case fatality rate of 18.5 per cent.
Read Also: 10 New Cases Of Lassa Fever Infections Surface In Three States- NCDC
The NCDC said that in 2022, about 25 states of the federation had reported at least one confirmed case across 102 local government areas.
According to the agency, in week 37, the number of new confirmed cases reduced from eight in week 36, 2022 to six cases.
The situation report partly reads, “Cumulatively from week 1 to week 37, 2022, 171 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.5% which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (23.2%).
“In total for 2022, 25 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 102 Local Government Areas.
“Of all confirmed cases, 71% are from Ondo (32%), Edo (26%), and Bauchi (13%) States.
“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.
The agency noted that no new healthcare worker was affected in the reporting week 37.
“National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group (TWG) continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels,” it said.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
