The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), registered 40 Lassa fever-related deaths in January, adding that four health workers were also infected following the latest outbreak of Lassa fever in the country.

The NCDC, via its verified website, made this known on Sunday morning, saying that it is currently distributing medical response commodities to states and treatment centres.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by rats. It has been known since the 1950s, but the virus was not identified until 1969, when two missionary nurses died from it in the town of Lassa in Nigeria.

Found predominantly in West Africa, it has the potential to cause tens of thousands of deaths. Even after recovery, the virus remains in body fluids, including semen.

Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for Lassa virus, the “multimammate rat” (Mastomys natalensis) is distributed throughout the region.

According to the agency, for January, the 40 deaths and 981 cases reported in January 2022 were across 43 local government areas in 14 states.

The public health agency said “Cumulatively from Week 1 to Week 4, 2022, 49 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate of 19.0 per cent.

“In total, for 2022, 14 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 43 local government areas. Of all confirmed cases, 82% are from the following states as follows – Ondo (30%), Edo (27%) and Bauchi (25%).

“The predominant age-group affected is 21-30 years.

“The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021”

The centre also noted that, “four health workers have been infected so far, 233 cases undergoing treatment, 617 cases undergoing contact tracing while 968 have been listed for follow up.”

The agency added that the states with the suspected number of cases were Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Benue, Oyo, Taraba, Ebonyi, Kogi, Kaduna, Katsina, Ebonyi, Plateau, Cross River, Borno, Anambra, Bayelsa, Jigawa, Kebbi, Ogun, Kwara, Lagos, Delta, Gombe, FCT, Nasarawa, Rivers and Enugu.

Since, the last outbreak of the virus in 2016, the NCDC said there has been an increase in the number of cases in the country.

(NAN)