Abuja: At least 80 deaths have been reported across 11 states in Nigeria amid the latest outbreak of Lassa fever, public health authorities said.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said in a statement that 413 confirmed cases of Lassa fever have been reported in the latest outbreak that began in January.
The NCDC put the case fatality rate at 19.4 per cent, noting that three states accounted for 73 per cent of the confirmed cases. The southwestern state of Ondo is the worst-hit, with at least 34 per cent of the total confirmed cases.
The public health agency said the outbreak has so far spread to 63 of the country's 774 local government areas, primarily affecting individuals aged 21 to 30, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8
The NCDC identified poor health-seeking behaviour, high treatment costs in some areas, and limited awareness in high-burden communities as major challenges. It has activated a multi-sectoral incident management system to coordinate nationwide response efforts, Xinhua news agency reported.
"The interventions also involve training healthcare workers in Lassa fever case management, enhanced surveillance, and contact tracing in affected states. Additionally, there will be distribution of response commodities such as personal protective equipment, Ribavirin, thermometers, and body bags, along with community sensitisation and risk communication campaigns in hotspot areas," the NCDC added.
In 2024, Nigeria reported 214 deaths from Lassa fever, according to the NCDC.
Lassa fever is primarily spread through food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or feces. Human transmission occurs through direct contact with rat saliva, urine, or excrement.
About 80 per cent of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no or mild symptoms. One in 5 infections result in severe disease, where the virus affects several organs such as the liver, spleen and kidneys. The incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from 2–21 days.
