Nigeria has recorded 1,035 confirmed cases of Lassa fever out of 8,569 suspected cases, and 174 deaths in 28 states across 129 local government areas as of October 13, 2024.
The country has also recorded 380 confirmed cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis out of 4,915 suspected cases and 361 deaths in 24 states across 174 LGAs in the 2023/2024 season.
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris disclosed the figures on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja.
Idris noted that the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NCDC leads efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to cases of Lassa fever across the country every year.
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. The natural reservoir for the virus is the multimammate rat (also known as the African rat). Other rodents can also act as carriers of the virus.
“We have continued to see a steady increase in the number of states reporting Lassa fever cases. This rise is due, in part, to improved surveillance, better community awareness, environmental degradation from climate change, and other harmful human activities.
“In 2022, Nigeria reported 1,067 confirmed cases across 27 states and 112 LGAs. In 2023, 28 states and 114 LGAs reported confirmed cases, with 9,155 suspected cases, 1,270 confirmed cases, and 227 deaths. As of October 13, 2024, 8,569 suspected cases, 1,035 confirmed cases, and 174 deaths have been reported across 28 states and 129 LGAs.
“The disease is also associated with significant loss of livelihood in the communities it ravages. Heads of households are unable to work when exposed to Lassa fever and when other household members are infected, the cost of care and treatment of the disease which is often significant strains existing household income pushing households toward poverty in a swift turn of events,” he stated.
He emphasised that Lassa fever outbreaks are highly virulent and the loss of human lives resulting from disease are not just statistics, but represent the death of beloved family members, spouses, parents.
“Lassa fever initially presents like other common illnesses accompanied by a fever, such as malaria. Other symptoms include headache, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, sore throat, and, in severe cases, bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other body openings. The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms of the disease is 3 to 21 days. Early diagnosis and treatment of the diseases greatly increase the chances of patient survival.
“People most at risk for Lassa fever are people of all age groups who come in contact with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats, people living in rat-infested environments, people who consume potentially contaminated foodstuff, especially those left open overnight or dried outside in the open, people who handle or process rodents for consumption, people who do not perform hand hygiene at appropriate times, and caretakers of infected persons with poor infection prevention and control measures,” he added.
Speaking on CSM, the NCDC boss noted that the infection is an epidemic-prone disease with cases reported all year round in Nigeria.
He, however, said weather conditions like the dry season that comes with dust, winds, cold nights, and frequent upper respiratory tract infections increase the risk of infection, especially with crowding and poor ventilation.
“The highest burden of CSM in Nigeria occurs in the ‘Meningitis Belt’ which includes all 19 states in the Northern region, the Federal Capital Territory, and some southern states such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun.
“In 2023/2024, Nigeria recorded 4,915 suspected and 380 confirmed cases with 361 deaths across 174 LGAs in 24 States including the FCT. A total of 2,281,750 doses of Men5CV- ACWYX in Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe covering 134 wards in the 13 LGAs. The campaign targeted individuals aged one to 29 years, comprising 70 per cent of the population.
“Despite significant progress in surveillance, diagnostic capacity, and vaccination over the last few years, CSM remains a priority disease and ever-present public health threat in Nigeria with annual outbreaks in high-burden states that present a challenge for people, health systems, economies, and communities,” he highlighted.
He urged Nigerians to receive appropriate vaccination required to protect against meningitis, avoid close and prolonged contact with a confirmed case of CSM including relatives, avoid overcrowding on households, schools dormitories, Internally Displaced Persons, prisons, and other communal settings.
He also advised healthcare workers to practice standard infection prevention and control practices, maintain a high index of suspicion for CSM, and report all suspected cases of CSM to their local government Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer for immediate access to healthcare.
