Jumoke Olasunkanmi
The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has raised an alarm over the surge in Lassa fever cases during week 51 of 2023.
According to the official website of the NCDC, new cases spiked from 10 in week 50 to 26 in week 51, with 215 deaths reported from week 1 to week 51, resulting in a case fatality rate of 17.5 per cent.
The report also revealed that Lassa fever cases were reported in 28 states across 121 local government areas in 2023, with the majority of confirmed cases reported in Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states.
The age group most affected by the fever was 21 to 30 years, and the report noted challenges persist, including poor awareness, unclean environments, and poor health-seeking behaviour due to the high cost of treatment.
Furthermore, the report highlighted those two healthcare workers who were affected in week 51, prompting the activation of multi-sectoral Public Health Emergency Operation Centres (PHEOC) at the national level and in affected states.
