One of the deadliest diseases called Lassa fever is back again in not less than 9 state for now according to the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC). On Wednesday, about 82 cases of Lassa fever, including 14 deaths, have been confirmed from seven states.
They are Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi and Ogun.
Two other states, Kano and Delta, yesterday confirmed four deaths from the virus.
Two doctors and a patient died in Kano; a single mother died in Delta.
According to the latest figures from the NCDC in its Lassa fever Situation Report (Epi Week 02: 6th – 12th January 2020), 255 suspected cases were recorded.
According to a summary of the current weekly indicators, the number of new confirmed cases rose from 18 in Week 1, 2020 to 64 in Week 2, out of which 12 deaths were recorded from 158 suspected cases.
The cases were with a Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 18.8 per cent in 12 Local Government Areas of Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi and Ogun states.
The NCDC stated: “The number of deaths has increased. The overall case fatality rate (CFR) for 2020 is 17.1 per cent, which is lower than the CFR for the same period during 2019 (28.7 per cent).
“In total for 2020, eight states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 13 LGAs; 89 per cent of all confirmed cases are from Edo (38 per cent), Ondo (38 per cent) and Ebonyi (11 per cent) states.
“The predominant age-group affected is 11-40 years (Range: >11 to 60 years, Median Age: 33 years). The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:1.
“The number of suspected cases has increased but is lower than the numbers reported in 2019. One Health Care Worker infection was identified in the reporting week 02.”