26 Die Of Lassa Fever In Three Weeks- NCDC

Report has it that 26 persons have died in 11 States and 30 Local Government Areas in the last three weeks, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has stated.

The agency further noted as of January 23, 2022, a total of 115 confirmed cases of Lassa fever have been reported with a case fatality ratio of 22.6 per cent).

The States with the disease burden, it said, are Bauchi, Edo, Ondo, Oyo, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Cross River and Ebonyi.

The NCDC explained that it has activated the national multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary Lassa fever Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in response to the outbreak in some parts of the country.

The statement explained: “Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by rodents infected with Lassa fever virus.

“Lassa fever presents initially like any other febrile illness such as malaria. Its symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings.

“The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms of the disease is 3 to 21 days. Early treatment and diagnosis increase the chances of survival.

“To support and strengthen the response efforts of states, NCDC has continued to deploy Rapid Response Teams (RRT) as required to states. The RRTs through the State Public Health Emergency Operation Centres (PHEOCs) work with states across all response pillars to strengthen preparedness and response activities.

“This includes outbreak investigation, contact tracing, response coordination, case management, psychosocial care for infected people, risk communication, and infection prevention and control activities.”