The recent outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria has claimed 31 lives since the beginning of this year with 377 suspected cases in nine states.

 

 

A situation report released yesterday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said between January 14 to 20, 74 new confirmed cases were reported from Edo, Ondo , Bauchi , Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba and Adamawa states.

Also, twelve new deaths were recorded in Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba and Adamawa during the period, including a healthcare worker in Ebonyi State.

 

 

The report said that the nine states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 29 local government areas, and that 136 cases were confirmed positive and 240 negative out of the 377 suspected cases reported since January.

The Director of Public Health and Human Service Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Dr Humphrey Okoroukwu said that from November 2018 to date, it responded and investigated 14 cases comprising six females and four males.

 

Meanwhile, the Kwara state  branch of the Congress of the Coalition of Health Sector Unions (COHESU), has called off its indefinite strike as a result of the recent outbreak of Lassa fever, Yellow fever and Polio in some parts of the state.

 

 

In another new development, a soldier in the Nigerian army was reported ill and died from symptoms of lassa fever which has prompted fumigation of his barracks located in Plateau state.

The soldier was said to have gone to Kogi for his father’s burial and was exhibiting symptons of the fever after he came back to the barracks before he died.

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