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The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed yesterday that no fewer than 143 people have died from Lassa fever in the past 11 months in 22 states.
Mr. Chimezie Anueyiagu, NCDC Communications Assistant, made the revelation by presenting the Disease Status Report at the Lassa Fighting Meeting organized by the Media and Civil Society Organization in Abuja.
Anueyiagu explained that, based on data collected between January and November 11, the number of suspected cases of Lassa fever was 3,016.
Of these, 559 were confirmed positive, 17 were probable and 2,440 confirmed negative.
"Since the epidemics, there have been 143 deaths in confirmed cases and 17 probable cases.The case fatality rate is confirmed at 22.6%.
"The 22 states have registered at least one confirmed case of Lassa fever in 90 local administrative areas," he said.
The communication assistant did not however disclose the concerned states.
Anueyiagu explained that the probable cases were untested cases but suspected to be cases of Lassa fever or possibly other diseases.
NCDC Deputy Director Elsie Ilori said plans were underway to revise these guidelines and to develop a five-year strategic plan for Lassa fever in Nigeria.
IIori said the review should allow the center to become familiar with situations in the states, and lamented that Nigeria is the country most affected by the disease.
The deputy director expressed his fear that the vector of the disease is not just rodents.
He noted, however, that the NCDC was collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) in research to determine if there was another animal that was spreading the virus.
Dr. Olaolu Aderinola, Deputy Director of NCDC, said that compared to 2017, the number of reported cases had dropped significantly due to some progress.
Aderinola revealed that between 2016 and 2017, there had been 14,542 cases of MSC with 1,166 registered deaths, while between 2017 and 2018, the number of registered cases was 3,467, with approximately 303 death.
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