The outcome of the risk assessment of Lassa fever placed Nigeria at a very high risk as increased transmission has been recorded compared to previous years just as the number of states infected has risen.
Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria yesterday.
He said 244 cases of Lassa fever were confirmed in 16 states and the FCT with 37 deaths (a case fatality rate of 15.1%) recorded as of January 22.
He listed the states that recorded the cases as Ondo (90), Edo (89), Bauchi (13), Taraba (10), Benue (9), Ebonyi (9), Nasarawa (7), Plateau (5), Kogi (4), Anambra (2), Delta (1), Oyo (1), Adamawa (1), Enugu (1), Imo (1), and the FCT (1).
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“Healthcare workers have also been shown to be at increased risk of infection and death,’’ he said.
He said the NCDC activated a national multi-sectorial Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) on January 20 to coordinate and strengthen ongoing response activities.
He said prior to the activation of EOC, the NCDC had deployed national rapid response teams to hotspot states to support contact tracing, case management, risk communication and community engagement, among others. NAN
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