Lassa Fever: We have recorded 1131 confirmed cases in 27 states – Health Minister

The Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, disclosed that Nigeria has recorded 1131 confirmed cases of Lassa fever in 27 states in 2020.

The Minister disclosed this at the daily COVID-19 Presidential Task Force (PTF) press briefing in Abuja on Thursday and also revealed the COVID-19 caseloads for Nigeria.

“A total of 60,737 cases have been treated and discharged, while there are currently 2617 active cases currently receiving care at home or in a facility.

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“We have sadly recorded 1,162 deaths with a case fatality rate of 1.8 per cent. We are cautiously impressed that the number of active cases is reducing as more persons are being discharged and the recovery rate is increasing,” Mamora said.

The Minister acknowledged the spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria and confirmed Nigeria has recorded over a thousand cases in 2020 with Ondo states reporting 3/4 of the cases.

“One of such diseases is Lassa fever which is a viral hemorrhagic disease characterized by one or more of the following symptoms: malaise, fever, headache, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, chest pain, and hearing loss,” he said.

“So far this year, we have recorded 1131 confirmed cases in 27 states. However, the number of new confirmed cases of Lassa has increased from 3 cases in the last weeks to 11 cases this week.

“Although nearly three-quarters of the confirmed cases are in Ondo state, Lassa fever can affect anyone anywhere.

“We therefore advise all to be vigilant, especially as we approach the season when we usually record increased incidences,” he added.

The Minister disclosed that Enugu and Delta states have had media reports of 17 and 51 deaths, with symptoms of Lassa fever in the patients and that tests results from casualties have proven positive for Lassa Fever.

“In Delta State, 23 cases have been reported with 17 deaths, while in Enugu State, 51 deaths have been reported. In both states, most of the affected cases are males, aged between 1 and 55 years.

“Most reported cases presented with fever, headache, fatigue and weakness, jaundice, abdominal pain, vomiting (with or without blood), nose bleeding, blood in stools/urine, convulsions and unconsciousness.

“As at the 6th of November, three samples from Delta and one sample from Enugu have been confirmed positive for yellow fever. We shall provide further provide updates at subsequent briefing.”