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Nigeria records 213 cases of Lassa fever in Jan- NCDC

Lassa fever

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC,  has confirmed it recorded a total of 213 positive cases of Lassa fever in suspected patients.

This is as reported in the reporting Week 04 ( January 21 – 27, 2019), where seventy-seven new confirmed cases were reported from Edo(24), Ondo(28), Ebonyi(5), Bauchi(3), Plateau(5), Taraba(3), Gombe(1), Kaduna(1), Kwara(1), FCT(1), Benue(2), Rivers(1) Kogi(1) and Enugu(1)
States with eleven new deaths in Edo(4), Ondo(2), Benue(1), Rivers(1) Plateau(2) Taraba(1) and Bauchi(1).

The report showed that from the 1st to 27th of January 2019, a total of 538 suspected cases was reported from 16 States, out if which 213 were confirmed positive, 2 probable and 325 negative (not a case).

Since the onset of the 2019 outbreak,there have been 42 deaths in confirmed cases. Case fatality rate in confirmed cases is 19.7%.

Sixteen States (Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba, FCT, Adamawa and Gombe, Kaduna, Kwara, Benue, Rivers Kogi and Enugu) have recorded at least one confirmed case across 40 Local Government Areas.

In the reporting week 04, one new healthcare worker was affected in Enugu State- contact of an Adamawa confirmed case. A total four health care workers have been affected since the onset of the outbreak in two States – Ondo (2), Ebonyi (1) and Enugu(1) with no death.

One hundred and two patients are currently being managed at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) treatment Centre (34), Federal Medical Centre Owo (40), Bauchi (5), Plateau(8), Taraba(3) Ebonyi(6) and Others(6) States.

A total of 2070 contacts have been identified from eight states, out of which 1673(80.8%) are currently being followed up, 361(17.4%) have completed 21 days follow up. 23(1.1%) symptomatic contacts have been identified, of which 13 (0.6%) have tested positive from three states (Edo -2, Ebonyi-5 and Plateau-6 ).

Multi sectoral one health national rapid response team (NFELTP residents, Federal Ministry of Agricultural and Federal Ministry of Environment) deployed to Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi and Plateau/Bauchi

National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centre(EOC) continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels.

Oyin Aminu,  Abuja