Lara Adejoro Nigeria has recorded 1,035 confirmed cases of Lassa fever out of 8,569 suspected cases, and 174 deaths in 28 states across 129 local government areas as of October 13, 2024. The country also recorded 380 confirmed cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis out of 4,915 suspected cases and 361 deaths in 24 states across 174 LGAs in the 2023/2024 season. The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed the figures on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja.
Idris said the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NCDC, leads efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to cases of Lassa fever across the country every year. Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. The natural reservoir for the virus is the multimammate rat (also known as the African rat).
Other rodents can also act as carriers of the virus. “We have continued to see a steady increase in the number of states reporting Lassa fever cases. This rise is due, in part, to improved surveillance, better community awareness, environmental degradation from climate change, and other harmful human activities.
“In 2022, Nigeria reported 1,067 confirmed cases across 27 states and 112 LGAs. In 2023, 28 states and 114 LGAs reported confirmed cases, with 9,155 suspected cases, 1,270 confirmed cases, and 227 deaths. “As of October 13, 2024, 8,569 suspected cases, 1,035 confirmed cases, and 174 dea.