By According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 151 Lassa fever deaths in Nigeria so far this year, up from 148 the year before.
The NCDC reported that from January 1 to April 9, 2023, a total of 869 confirmed cases of Lassa fever had been reported from 26 states and 101 local government units.
During the time under study, there were 4,555 suspected instances altogether.
The public health institution observed that with the current mortality toll, the outbreak’s case-fatality ratio was 17.4%.
The majority of the 869 cases verified this year affected people between the ages of 21 and 30, and the male to female ratio was 10:9.
The Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses, is said to be the cause of Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic sickness, according to the World Health Organization. The most common way for humans to contract the Lassa virus is through contact with food or household items that have been tainted by the urine or feces of infected Mastomys rats. In some regions of West Africa, the disease is endemic among the rodent population.
There are eight West African nations where Lassa fever is known to be endemic: Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria.
