Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, has confirmed that as of January 28, 2020, 258 cases of Lassa fever have been confirmed with death toll at 41, reported from 19 states. Also, majority of the cases are from Ebonyi, Edo and Ondo states.
He explained that though the disease is endemic in the country due to our particular ecological profile, the responsibility of curbing its spread is the responsibility of everyone – government, NGOs, development partners etc.
Ehanire, who made this known on Tuesday in a press briefing in Abuja, said that “Lassa fever is a disease that is indigenous to our country because it occurs every year, particularly in dry season. This year there has been an increase of Lassa fever reporter across the country. As of the 28th of January 2020, 258 confirmed cases and 41 deaths have been reported in 19 states, with majority of the cases from Ebonyi, Edo and Ondo states.
“Given the tropical climate in Nigeria and the abundance of the disease vectors in our environment, the high risk of infectious diseases like Lassa fever is high all over the country.
“Despite the increase in confirmed cases, the overall case fatality rate for 2020 has been just about 15 percent compared to the same in 2019 which was 20 percent and few years ago the case fatality rate was over 30 per cent.”
About what the government is doing to control and manage the spread of the Lassa fever virus, Ehanire explained that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has activated a National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), to coordinate responses to the increasing number of Lassa fever cases across the country.
According to him, “The National EOC, which was constituted on the 24th of January 2020, includes representatives from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Environment, World Health Organization, UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control, and other partners.
“While we are gradually moving towards achieving a single digit fatality rate, we will continue to support response activities like surveillance and contact tracing in affected states through the deployment of rapid response teams for improved case management and outcomes. The rapid response teams have so far been deployed to five states – Ebonyi, Enugu, Kano, Borno and Ondo states.
“It is important for health workers to maintain a high index of suspicion and practice universal health precautions to protect themselves from infections by using surgical masks, gloves, laboratory coats and aprons. Further information on Lassa fever can be obtained from the following numbers – 08099555577.”