Nigeria records 170 Lassa fever deaths in 2023 – NCDC

Nigeria records 170 Lassa fever deaths in 2023 – NCDC

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 170 deaths associated with Lassa fever have been reported between week one and week 27 of 2023.

Case fatality rate (CFR) for the reported deaths is 17.2%, which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2022 (19.6%).

The NCDC released the most recent Week 25–27 update on the outbreak of Lassa virus in Nigeria on Monday.

The update stated that from 10 new confirmed cases in epidemiological Week 26, 2023, to six cases in Week 27, 2023, there were six new confirmed cases. From the states of Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, and Benue, this was reported.

In total for 2023, 28 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 108 Local Government Areas.

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The NCDC further disclosed that 73 percent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from these three states (Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi) while 27 percent were reported from 25 states with confirmed Lassa fever cases.

Of the 73 percent confirmed cases, Ondo reported 33 percent, Edo 29 percent, and Bauchi 11 percent.

According to the report, the predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 1 to 93 years, Median Age: 32 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.9.

It stated that the number of suspected cases increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2022, adding that no new healthcare worker was affected in the reporting Week 27.

The NCDC said the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group (TWG) continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels.