The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed 68 additional cases of Lassa fever, bringing the national total of confirmed cases to 531. In its week‑six Lassa fever situation report released on Monday, the agency noted that 15 people died in a single week, raising the death toll to 85 for the period from January to 12 February 2023. The report also indicated that suspected cases have risen compared with the same period in 2022: 2,244 suspected cases were recorded in week six of 2023, up from 1,631 in week six of 2022.
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family. The disease is endemic in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria, putting neighboring countries at risk as well. The NCDC attributed the increasing case‑fatality rate to late presentation of patients, poor health‑seeking behaviour driven by the high cost of treatment, and inadequate environmental sanitation in high‑burden communities.
The report stated that the number of new confirmed cases fell from 106 in week five to 68 in week six. These cases were reported from Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, Ebonyi, Gombe, Benue, Nasarawa, and Plateau states. Cumulatively, 85 deaths have been recorded from week one to week six of 2023, resulting in a case‑fatality rate (CFR) of 16.0 %, slightly lower than the 16.5 % CFR for the same period in 2022. Overall, 20 states have reported at least one confirmed case across 79 local government areas.
Seventy‑four percent of all confirmed cases were concentrated in Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states, while the remaining 26 % occurred in six other states with confirmed cases. Within the 74 % share, Ondo accounted for 36 %, Edo 31 %, and Bauchi 7 %. The predominant age group affected is 21–30 years (range 1–93 years, median age 31 years), with a male‑to‑female ratio of 1:0.9 among confirmed cases.
The number of suspected cases has increased compared with the same period in 2022. Additionally, four new healthcare workers were infected in week six, bringing the total number of healthcare workers affected by Lassa fever this year to 28.
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