The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has recorded one casualty, and 15 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever within one week nationwide.
They had published is a situation report for Week 13 on its website on Friday, April 12.
This is a reduction in the number of confirmed cases, from 25 recorded cases in Week 12 to 15 cases in the following week.
From Week one to 13, the report concisely explained that the country had recorded 806 confirmed cases and a total of 150 deaths, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.6 per cent, a higher CFR for the same period in 2023 (17.5 per cent).
It was also revealed that twenty-five states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 125 local government areas in 2024.
The good news is that no health worker was infected in the reporting week.
The demographic predominantly affected by the infection are individuals aged between 31-50 years of age.
The National Lassa Fever Multi-partner, Multi-sectoral Incident Management System, had according to the NCDC report, been activated to streamline responses at all levels at the Emergency Operations Centre.
Some of the challenges in the fight against Lassa fever, as highlighted by the NCDC include: late presentation of cases, which often leads to increased CFR and poor health-seeking behaviour.
These challenges emphasise the urgent need for public awareness campaigns to be intensified so individuals suffering one or two possible symptoms of the fever can go straight to the hospital, reducing the risk of infecting others too.
The overall toll of 806 cases and 150 deaths while mild still highlights the desperate need for sustained efforts in combating Lassa Fever across Nigeria.
