The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) registered 244 confirmed cases of Lassa Fever in 16 states and the FCT as of Jan. 22.
The Centre’s Director-General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, told newsmen yesterday, in Abuja, that the centre also recorded 37 deaths, a case-fatality rate of 15.1 percent.
The Lassa fever infections were recorded in Ondo State (90); Edo (89); Bauchi (13); Taraba (10); Benue (9); Ebonyi (9); Nasarawa (7), and Plateau, (5).
Others are Kogi (4); Anambra (2); Delta (1); Oyo (1); Adamawa (1); Enugu (1); Imo (1), and the FCT, (1).
He said among five health workers who were confirmed as infected in the line of duty, one of them died.
Dr. Adetifa said the Centre activated a national multi-sectorial Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) on Jan. 20, to coordinate and strengthen on-going response activities.
The Centre is powered by officials of the NCDC and those of relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), other stakeholders and major partners
The outcome of the risk assessment placed Nigeria at a very high risk, as increased transmission has been recorded compared to previous years, just as the number of States infected has risen. “Healthcare workers have also been shown to be at increased risk of infection and death”, he explained.
Adetifa also said that the EOC would coordinate a national response, especially across affected States to interrupt disease transmission, and reduce impact by reducing suffering and death.
He appealed to States of the federation to support the NCDC as the lead agency in the development and implementation of evidence-driven outbreak response plans for their territories.
