Lassa Fever Hits Four States, Says NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday alerted the nation to the reported cases of Lassa fever in Edo, Bauchi, Ondo and Ebonyi states.

The NCDC said compared to previous years, the number of reported cases at this time have been relatively lower – just over 400.

The centre said it was adopting a multi-sectoral approach to respond to the outbreak of the disease in the affected states.

“Recently, Edo and Bauchi states reported a confirmed case. Initially, we had very high number of cases, but now we have very low number because the states have been very proactive. Our approach to Lassa fever has been multi-sector involving the Environment, Agriculture and Health sectors.

“We have not been reporting cases as we did two years ago. For this year alone, we have reported over 400 confirmed cases. In previous years, we reported over 1,000 cases as at this time.

“Lassa fever is something that we are living with, and we are trying as much as possible to make sure that we control the number of cases and manage the cases very well when they occur.”

“Our work continues as we respond and prepare for diseases, such as Lassa fever, meningitis, and continue to respond to cholera.

“We recently held a workshop for the finalisation of the Lassa Fever Five-Year Strategic Plan in line with the National Action Plan for Health Security and the first Lassa Fever International Conference.”