The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has asked Nigerians to be wary of contamination from rats as 358 cases of Lassa fever have already been recorded across 19 since the beginning of the year.

Of the confirmed cases, 59 deaths have been recorded cumulatively from week one to week six 2022 while the case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 16.5 per cent in the country.

This is even as the world continues to battle COVID-19.

The NCDC, via its verified website, made this known on Wednesday, saying that in week six, the number of new confirmed cases of Lassa fever increased from 58 in week five, 2022, to 77 cases.

Nigeria and some parts of Africa have continued to see recent outbreaks of Lassa fever, making a pandemic-wary world even more jittery, as there is currently no vaccine that protects against Lassa fever.

NCDC noted that the additional cases in week six were reported from Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Taraba, Enugu, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

It, however, noted that the 16.5 per cent CFR was lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021, which was 22.9 per cent.

“In total for 2022, 19 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 65 Local Government Areas.

“The predominant age-group affected is 12-30 years: (Range: 1 to 80 years, Median Age: 30 years). The male to female ratio confirmed cases are 1: 0.8. The number of suspected cases has increased compared to the 2021 figure,” it explained.

The NCDC also disclosed that seven new health workers were affected, adding that they were from Bauchi, Ondo and Edo states in week six.

The health institute noted that it is currently distributing medical response commodities to states and treatment centres.

The NCDC stated that people can become infected by Lassa fever if they come in contact with food items that have been contaminated with the urine or feces of an infected rat.

It, however, added that human to human transmission is rare but can occur through contact with the body fluids of an infected person.

“Symptoms typically appear between one and three weeks after exposure to the virus. In mild cases, the disease causes fever, fatigue, weakness and headache.

“More severe symptoms include bleeding, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back and abdomen and shock,” it added.

The NCDC said that supportive care, including rehydration and symptomatic treatment, can improve chances of survival.

The agency advised Nigerians to avoid any contact with rats to prevent getting infected. Storing food in rat-proof containers and using rat traps are also advised.

Lassa fever was first discovered in 1969 in Nigeria and is named after the town where the first cases were reported.

It is known to be endemic in Nigeria, along with its neighboring countries, Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, and Sierra Leone.

The disease is an animal-borne acute viral illness, belonging to the virus family Arena, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Between 100,000 and 300,000 infections of Lassa fever occur annually, leading to an estimated 5,000 deaths, as per data published on the website of the United States CDC. 

NAN