According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), one the issue of Lassa fever re-emergence in Nigeria has recorded fifty-two (52) new cases in week 10 making a total of four hundred and seventy-two (472) cases of people affected with Lassa fever.
In their weekly update, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control report for week 10 (March 4 to 10) showed that fifty-two (52) new confirmed cases were reported from eight states, Delta, Plateau, Taraba, Bauchi, Nasarawa Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi States. The death toll for week 10 (March 4 to March 10) was reported to be eleven (11) people from Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Ondo and Edo States. The new death toll put the total death for the year at one-hundred and ten (110) persons.
The sudden increase in the number of newly confirmed cases has in doubt cast doubt on the NCDC’s claims of a gradual decline in the outbreak of Lassa fever in the country in the year 2019. Since Lassa fever outbreak was declared in Nigeria on 21st January, 2019 the NCDC has reported a gradual decline but in the last four consecutive weeks there has been an unexplained quantum lift in the number of new infections in the country which has generated a lot of anxiety. The week 10 report of fifty-two (52) new cases is the fourth largest confirmed cases in a single month in the year 2019.
According to Director General of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, there has been a steady decline in the number of confirmed cases in the disease for this year. This statement was in comparison to the 2018 outbreak where Nigeria recorded its highest number of disease burden in the last 50 years. He said in a press briefing that new Lassa fever cases are on a decline in states battling to control the spread of the disease. He also added that the country had witnessed a reduction in the number of people who died from the disease compared to 2018. This he said was due to the effort of the health agency and its partners who had continued to sustain response activities in the states across the country.
However, the effort seems to have paid off as no new case of health care workers getting infected with the disease have been reported in the past few weeks. Chikwe Ihekweazu, listed several measures it has in place for the prevention and control of the Lassa fever outbreak. He stated that so far, a total of fifteen health care workers have been infected since the onset of the outbreak in seven States – Benue (1), Bauchi (1), Rivers (1), Enugu (1), Ebonyi (1), Ondo (3) and Edo (7) and with two deaths in Edo and Enugu States.
According to the NCDC report for week 10 (10th March, 2019), a total of one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two (1752) suspected cases had been reported and one hundred and ten (110) deaths were reported across 21 states including FCT. The report also stated that from January 1 to March 10, a total of 472 cases were confirmed positive from the suspected cases, 15 probable and 1265 negative. Since the outbreak there has been 110 deaths reported in the confirmed cases. This makes the case fatality ratio in confirmed cases as 23.3 per cent.
The report stated that so far, Edo State has been topping the chart of the highest burden of the disease with 174 confirmed cases, followed by Ondo, with 133 confirmed cases, Ebonyi, with 39 confirmed cases and Bauchi, 32. The FCT had recorded three cases.
21 states have reported at least one confirmed case across 73 Local Government areas since the beginning of the outbreak. These states are Kaduna, Kwara, Benue, Rivers, Kogi, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Oyo, Kebbi, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba, FCT, Adamawa and Gombe
Currently, 68 patients are being managed at various treatment centres across the country: Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (10), Bauchi (1), Plateau (3), Nasarawa(1) and Taraba (4), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital(ISTH) treatment Centre (33), Federal Medical Centre Owo (16),
A total of 5340 contacts have been identified from 20 States. Of these, 2129 are currently being followed up, 3158 have completed 21 days follow up, while four were lost to follow up.
82 symptomatic contacts have been identified and 49 have tested positive.
The NCDC has stated that a multi-sectorial health national rapid response team (NCDC, NFELTP, Federal Ministry of Agricultural and Federal Ministry of Environment) is still working in the high burden states. Also, the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectorial Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels throughout the country.
