Lassa fever has killed 84 persons across 23 states since the beginning of this year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said.
The Director General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, stated this on Fridat while briefing newsmen in Abuja.
He said 476 confirmed cases and 2,621 suspected cases of Lassa fever were recorded in 84 local government areas as at February 18, this year.
Dr Idris said the NCDC was notified Thursday by the Kaduna State Ministry of Health of the report of deaths from suspected viral hemorrhagic fever at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.
He said following the notification, the NCDC has been working with both institutions to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the suspected cases as well as ramp up response activities.
He said that four of the six blood samples from suspected cases sent to the Bayero University Teaching Hospital in Kano have been confirmed for Lassa fever.
He said, “Furthermore, 25 close contacts of all these cases are now under follow up and placed on prophylactic medicine. The State Ministry of Health has also activated its Incident Management System with all the response pillars including intensified risk communication and community engagement for the prevention and control of Lassa fever in the affected communities.”
Dr Idris said the NCDC, through the recently activated multi-sectoral multi-disciplinary Incident Management System, has distributed medical supplies for case management, infection prevention and control, and laboratory diagnosis, in all Lassa fever treatment centres in the country; and also commenced capacity building exercises of some healthcare workers across all the geopolitical zones, among others.
The NCDC Director-General said the agency was working assiduously with other stakeholders under the Lassa fever task force towards development of a vaccine for Lassa fever in other to reduce the burden of the disease in the country.
He said healthcare workers should maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever, adding that they should report all suspected cases of the disease to their local government disease surveillance and notification officer to ensure prompt diagnosis, referral, and early commencement of public health actions.
He further said that the agency was also responding to other disease outbreaks including meningitis (507 cases and 63 deaths in 19 states), measles (915 suspected, 516 confirmed cases with 2 deaths in 29 states), diphtheria (16,248 cases and 646 deaths in 22 states), and cholera.
He added that health security, as outlined in the 4-point agenda by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, is a collective responsibility.
“Our people also have a crucial role to play in terms of positive health behavior as advised,” he added.
