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Lassa fever

Lassa Fever Outbreak in Nigeria: 7 New Cases Recorded Across Three States

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Nigeria has recently witnessed an outbreak of Lassa fever, with seven new cases recorded across three states: Edo, Bauchi, and Kogi. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), these cases occurred in the week spanning 22 to 28 July, as reported in the NCDC's situation report for week 30 of 2024. Despite no fatalities reported in the current outbreak, the NCDC highlighted concerns about the high case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.0 per cent in 2024, which is lower than the 17.3 per cent recorded in the same period in 2023.

Key Takeaways:

  • **Nigeria has recorded 163 deaths due to Lassa fever in 2024, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.0 per cent**, lower than the 17.3 per cent recorded in the same period in 2023.
  • **66 per cent of confirmed Lassa fever cases in 2024 have been reported from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi, while 34 per cent were reported from 25 other states**.
  • **At least one confirmed case of Lassa fever has been recorded in 28 states across 125 Local Government Areas in 2024**.
  • **Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness that is transmitted through contact with contaminated food or household items, or through contact with infected rodents or contaminated persons**.
  • **Symptoms of Lassa fever include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding**.
  • **Challenges in the fight against Lassa fever include the late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour due to high treatment costs, poor environmental sanitation conditions, and limited awareness in high-burden communities**.

Statistics:

  • **7 new cases of Lassa fever were recorded across three states**.
  • **163 deaths were reported due to Lassa fever in 2024**.
  • **17.0 per cent case fatality rate (CFR) in 2024, lower than the 17.3 per cent recorded in the same period in 2023**.
  • **66 per cent of confirmed cases were reported from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi, while 34 per cent were reported from 25 other states**.
  • **28 states have recorded at least one confirmed case of Lassa fever across 125 Local Government Areas**.

Sources:

  • Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) situation report for week 30 of 2024.

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