By Juliet Jacob
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, reports the death toll of Lassa fever in Nigeria has risen to 152 thus far this year.
The NCDC stated there had been a total of 877 confirmed cases recorded from 26 states and 101 local government areas from January 1 to April while 16,2023, suspected cases were recorded during the period under review.
The public health institution noted the case-fatality ratio of the outbreak stood at 17.3 per cent with the current death toll.
As noted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses.
Humans usually become infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with the urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats, the global organization further stated, adding that the disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa.
Lassa fever is known to be endemic but probably exists in similar African countries and in other West African countries as well.
Public health officials stated that Lassa fever is Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur particularly in healthcare settings in the absence of adequate infection prevention and control measures.
According to medical records, the predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range:1 to 93 years, (Median Age:32 years),The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 10:9.
About 80 per cent of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms. One in five infections results in severe disease, where the virus affects several organs such as the spleen, kidneys and the liver.
