The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a total of 1,025 confirmed cases of Lassa fever among 8,484 suspected cases from January 1 to October 6, 2024, spanning 28 states and 128 local government areas across the country.
The outbreak has resulted in 174 fatalities, leading to a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 17.0 percent.
This data was shared in the Lassa fever situation report for week 40, released by the NCDC on Wednesday.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, which belongs to the arenavirus family.
Humans typically contract the Lassa virus through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or feces of infected Mastomys rats. The disease is endemic among rodent populations in several West African countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
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“Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in healthcare settings in the absence of adequate infection prevention and control measures,” the WHO noted.
The NCDC report indicated a decline in new confirmed cases during week 40, with seven new cases reported, down from nine in the previous week. The affected states include Ondo and Edo.
“Cumulatively, from week 1 to week 40, 2024, 174 deaths have been reported, with a CFR of 17.0 percent, consistent with the corresponding period in 2023. Throughout 2024, 28 states have documented at least one confirmed case across 128 local government areas,” the report detailed.
The majority of confirmed cases—68 percent—were concentrated in three states: Ondo (28 percent), Edo (23 percent), and Bauchi (17 percent), while the remaining 32 percent were reported across 25 other states.
The report further highlighted that the most affected age group is 31 to 40 years, with ages ranging from 1 to 98 years and a median age of 32. The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases stands at 1:1. Additionally, the number of suspected cases has risen compared to the same timeframe in 2023.
The National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Technical Working Group is actively coordinating response activities at all levels to combat the outbreak.
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