From January 1 to March 13, 2022, 630 cases of Lassa fever were reported in 23 states of Nigeria, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
It added that 112 deaths had been attributed to the fever in 15 states thus far.
According to the agency’s most recent situation report on Lassa fever, there were 33 newly confirmed cases in week nine of 2022 as opposed to 57 in week nine of 2022.
The states of Edo, Ondo, Ebonyi, Kogi, Gombe, Nasarawa, Taraba, Bauchi, and Kebbi were the sources of the case reports.
According to the NCDC, 23 states and 87 local government units have at least one confirmed case thus far in 2022.
The states with the recorded case fatalities include Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Taraba, Oyo, Enugu, Gombe, Anambra, Kaduna, Cross-River, Kano and Katsina.
Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Taraba, Oyo, Enugu, Gombe, Nasarawa, Plateau, Delta, Anambra, Kaduna, FCT, Cross-River, Adamawa, Niger, Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, and Rivers states were among those where confirmed cases were reported.
According to the NCDC, 30 percent of confirmed cases come from the states of Ondo, 24 percent come from Edo, and 16 percent come from Bauchi.
“The age group most afflicted is 21–30 years old (median age: 30 years, range: 1 to 80 years). For confirmed cases, the male to female ratio is 1:0.8.
In contrast to the number of cases recorded for the same period in 2021, there are now more suspected cases. According to NCDC, there were no new healthcare workers impacted in reporting week 10.
According to the organization, Lassa fever is both a viral hemorrhagic fever and an acute viral disease. The Lassa virus, a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Arenaviridae family, is the causal agent.
It was stated that the reservoir host, the mastomys natalensis species complex, is the source of the Lassa virus, which is spread to humans by infected multi-mammate rats.
Humans contract the virus when they come into close contact with the rat’s urine and feces, touch contaminated surfaces, ingest contaminated food, or come into contact with open wounds or sores.
After coming into contact with the virus in the blood, tissue, urine, feces, or other bodily fluids of an infected person, secondary transmission from person to person can happen.
“Food items contaminated with the urine or feces of an infected rat can cause Lassa fever in humans who come into contact with them.”
Human-to-human transmission, on the other hand, is uncommon but is possible when an infected person’s bodily fluids come into touch with you.
“Symptoms usually start to show up one to three weeks after the virus is exposed.” The illness produces fever, exhaustion, weakness, and headaches in mild cases.
It went on, “More severe symptoms include bleeding, vomiting, face swelling, back, chest, and abdomen pain, as well as shock.”
According to the NCDC, symptomatic therapy and rehydration are examples of supportive care that can raise survival rates.
In order to avoid contracting the disease, the organization warned Nigerians to stay away from rats at all costs. Using rat traps and storing food in rodent-proof containers are also recommended.
The organization recommended that conventional infection prevention and control procedures for Lassa fever be followed, and that treatment should be administered by qualified personnel in specially designated isolation centers.
