222 new cases of Lassa fever and 2 new deaths in Benue and Taraba states have been recorded across 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory in the last week.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s weekly situation report today, Monday, January 17, 2022, 69 persons are currently undergoing treatment in treatment centres.
The centre said, “There is an increase in the number of recorded confirmed cases of Lassa fever across Nigeria. The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021.
“The predominant group affected is 31 to 40 years. The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.9.”
The report revealed that 51 new cases were recorded in Bauchi; 76 in Edo; 46 in Ondo; 3 in Benue; nine in Taraba; 11 in Kaduna; 6 in Plateau; 3 in Kogi; 1 in Cross River; 4 in Ebonyi; 2 in Gombe; 1 in Katsina; 4 in the Federal Capital Territory FCT; 2 in Nasarawa; 1 in Rivers; and 2 in Enugu.
It also added that the agency has deployed national response teams to Nasarawa and FCT, distributed response commodities to states and treatment centres, and implemented Lassa fever environmental response campaigns in high burden states.
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic (excessive bleeding) illness that is transmitted to humans through contact with food, household items contaminated by infected rodents or contaminated persons.
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.
