* In case of emergency, call Nigeria Centre for Disease Control or Federal Ministry of Health :08093810105, 08163215251, 08031571667 and 08135050005
Lassa Fever has re-emerged in Nigeria and has claimed the lives of five more people overnight by Friday to raise the death toll to 40, while the total number of confirmed cases is 86.
Worse still, laboratories have confirmed 17 cases which are indicative of a new round-trip of the fever outbreak as 80% of human infections are asymptomatic while the remaining cases have severe multi-system disease, where the virus attacks several organs such as liver, spleen and kidneys.
Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, made the continuing spread of the disease known in Abuja Friday raising the alert that two more states namely, Plateau and Gombe have been affected by the disease during the past six weeks.
Adewale said the Federal Ministry of Health has notified World Health Organisation (WHO) about the number of confirmed cases and has called on healthcare workers, who are expected to ensure that all patients are treated free, to immediately contact the state epidemiologists in the state Ministry of Health.
Lassa Fever is an acute febrile illness which was first detected in Nigeria in 1969 and comes with bleeding and death in severe cases, with an incubation period of 6-21 days.
The onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise followed by headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough and bleeding from mouth, nose, vagina, or gastrointestinal tracts and low blood pressure.
“The total number so far reported is 86 and 40 deaths, with a mortality rate of 43.2%. Our laboratories have confirmed 17 cases, indicative of a new roundtrip of Lassa fever outbreak,” Adewale said.
He said modalities have been put in place to curb the spread of the disease which can also occur and be transmitted in health facilities where infection prevention and control practices are not observed. Thy include “immediate release od edequate quantities of ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for treatment of Lassa fever to all the affected states for prompt and adequate treatment of cases.
“Deployment of rapid response teams from the ministry to all the affected states to assist in investigating and verifying the cases as well as tracing contacts. Clinicians and relevant health workers had been sensitised and mobilised in areas of patient management and care in the affected states as well as intensifying awareness creation on the signs and symptoms including preventive measure such as general hygiene.”
He said Nigeria has the capability to diagnose Lassa fever as all reported cases were confirmed in the nation’s laboratories. “However, due to the non-specific nature of Lassa fever symptoms and varied presentations, clinical diagnosis is often difficult and delayed, especially in the early course of the disease outbreak.”
He called on all Nigerians, as a matter of urgency, to cover all food to prevent rodents’ contamination and to report all suspected cases to enable early treatment and advised that individuals should “avoid contact with rodents/rats as well as food/objects contaminated with rats’ secretion and excretions. Avoid drying food in the open and along the roadside.”
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