The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention(NCDC) has recorded 2,621 cases of Lassa fever and 84 deaths within a period of seven weeks. Director General of the Centre, Dr Jide Idris, while speaking to the press in Abuja on Friday 23rd February, said 476 of the suspected cases were confirmed from 23 states across 84 local government areas in the country, as of February 18, 2024. Dr Jide Idris also affirmed that the centre had been diligently working to conduct comprehensive investigation of the suspected cases as well as ramp up response activities.
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Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. Humans usually become infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats or through food and household items contaminated with the urine or faeces of infected rodents. The disease was first identified in Nigeria in Borno State in 1969 and is endemic in Nigeria. Transmission occurs throughout the year. However, large seasonal outbreaks occur during the dry season.
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