Nigeria had recorded 7,973 suspected Lassa fever cases, with 982 confirmed cases and 168 deaths, resulting in a 17.1 percent case fatality rate.
By Olawale Lamina
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has issued a warning about imminent surge in cases of Lassa fever across the country.
At a news conference Wednesday in Abuja, the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, cautioned about impeding spike in cases, while acknowledging that although the country had experienced a decline in cases of various diseases, it is approaching the Lassa fever season, which is an annual challenge.
Dr. Idris said: “Given the seasonal nature of Lassa fever, we anticipate a potential increase in cases over the next few months.
“As such, we are proactively intensifying our preparedness efforts to mitigate the impact of the expected surge,” he said.
He added that so far, Nigeria had recorded 7,973 suspected Lassa fever cases, with 982 confirmed cases and 168 deaths, resulting in a 17.1 percent case fatality rate.
The DG highlighted a decline in disease outbreaks across the country, with a significant reduction in reported yellow fever, diphtheria, and cholera cases, adding that as of September, 1,728 suspected yellow fever cases had been reported, of which 43 tested positive.
.Idris stated that 36 states of the federation and the FCT had been affected, and 496, out of the nation’s 774 Local Government Areas had reported cases.
Members of the technical working group at the forum also stated that in 2024, the country reported a total of 12,085 suspected diphtheria cases across 21 states and 170 local government areas.
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