The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed 117 additional cases of Lassa fever, bringing the national total of confirmed cases to 361. In its Lassa fever situation report for week four, obtained by our correspondent on Friday, the NCDC noted that 16 people died in a single week, raising the death toll to 53 between 1 January and 29 January 2023. As of 29 January 2023, there were 1,378 suspected cases across the country.
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, with neighboring countries also at risk. The NCDC attributes the rising fatality rate to late presentation of cases, poor health‑seeking behaviour driven by the high cost of treatment, challenges in clinical management, and inadequate environmental sanitation in high‑burden communities.
The report states that in week four the number of new confirmed cases fell from 137 in week three to 117. These cases were reported from Ondo, Edo, Taraba, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kano, Gombe, the Federal Capital Territory, Delta, Enugu, and Kogi states. Cumulatively, from week one to week four 2023, 53 deaths have been recorded, resulting in a case‑fatality rate (CFR) of 14.7 percent—lower than the 19 percent CFR for the same period in 2022. Overall, 18 states have reported at least one confirmed case across 67 local government areas.
Seventy‑four percent of confirmed cases originated from Ondo, Edo, and Taraba states, while the remaining 26 percent came from 11 other states. Within the 74 percent, Ondo accounted for 36 percent, Edo 31 percent, and Taraba 7 percent of cases. The most affected age group is 21 to 30 years. The number of suspected cases has increased compared with the same period in 2022, and one new healthcare worker was infected during week four.
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