151 people died from Lassa Fever in four months – NCDC
AREWA AGENDA – The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said that between January and April 9th, 2023, Nigeria lost 151 individuals to Lassa disease.
In its most recent epidemiological report published on Thursday, the NCDC stated that the case fatality rate for week 14 was 17.4%, which was lower than the case fatality rate for the same week in 2022, which was similarly put at 19.3%.
The organisation stated that the disease has now spread to 26 states and 101 Local Government Areas, and that 71% of all confirmed cases were reported from the states of Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi, while 29% were reported from the three states that had confirmed cases of Lassa fever.
The new report further revealed that since the beginning of 2023, 869 confirmed cases were recorded from 26 states and 101 Local Government Areas (LGAs), while 71 per cent of all confirmed cases were reported from three states – Ondo (32 per cent), Edo (28 per cent), and Bauchi (11 per cent).
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It further revealed that between April 3 and 9, 2023, 23 confirmed cases were reported from six states – Ondo (30), Edo (31), Bauchi (18), Taraba (28), Enugu (2), and Lagos (2), with three deaths from Bauchi (1) and Taraba (2).
“Cumulatively, from week 1 to week 14 of 2023, 151 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.4 per cent, which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2022 (19.3 per cent).
“In total for 2023, 26 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 101 local government areas. The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 1 to 93 years, Median Age: 32 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.9.
The report also stated that:
“The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 1 to 93 years, Median Age: 32 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.9.
“The number of suspected cases increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2022. No new Healthcare worker was affected in the reporting week 14. National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated to coordinate the response activities at all levels.”
