LASSA FEVER – NIGERIA (05): FATAL
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Fri 14 Feb 2025
Source: Daily Trust [edited]
https://dailytrust.com/lassa-fever-kills-70-persons-in-1-month/
Lassa fever has claimed 70 lives this year [2025], with Taraba, Ondo,
and Edo states having the highest number of casualties, Daily Trust
reports.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
(NCDC), a total of 1552 suspected cases, 358 confirmed cases, and 70
deaths from Lassa fever have been recorded since the beginning of the
year.
An analysis of the latest situation report from the agency showed that
10 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 58 local
government areas.
The states with the highest number of deaths are; Taraba 18, Ondo 17,
Edo 11, Bauchi 6, Ebonyi 6, Kogi 4, Gombe 5, Plateau 1, and Nasarawa
2.
The report said that 75% of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were
reported from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi, while 25% were reported from 7
states.
The NCDC report said of the 75% confirmed cases, Ondo reported 37%,
Edo 20%, and Bauchi 18%.
Daily Trust gathered that the states with the highest number of cases
are Ondo 133, Edo 71, Bauchi, 63, Taraba 56, Ebonyi 11, Kogi 10, and
Gombe 8 cases.
Also, between 27 Jan and 2 Feb 2025 alone, 17 deaths, 379 suspected
cases, and 68 confirmed cases were recorded from the disease. They
were reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, Kogi, Gombe, and Ebonyi
states. Three new healthcare workers were also affected.
The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years, while the
male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.8.
Lassa fever is a haemorrhagic viral illness caused by contact with
food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.
The virus is carried in multimammate rats (the common soft-furred
African rat where the female has 2 rows of breasts). The rat normally
lives in the bush and visits nearby homes for food; which they
contaminate. Other rodents can also act as carriers of the virus.
Lassa fever was first detected in Nigeria in 1969, and it comes with
bleeding and, in severe cases, death. It has an incubation period of 6
to 21 days.
The symptoms are fever, weakness, muscle and chest pains, sore throat,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and abdominal pain. In most severe
cases, individuals may bleed from the mouth, nose, eyes, or other
parts of the body.
The director-general of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said the virus
spreads through direct contact with urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of
infected rats: “Contact with objects, household items, and surfaces
contaminated with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected
rats.
“It is also spread through consuming food or water contaminated with
the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats. Person-to-person
transmission can also occur through direct contact with blood, urine,
faeces, vomitus, and other body fluids of an infected person.”
Nigeria is one of the countries that have been experiencing consistent
seasonal and sporadic outbreaks of Lassa fever in West Africa, and the
outbreaks have resulted in the loss of lives among the general public
and health workers, especially in health facilities where there is low
index of suspicion of Lassa fever, coupled with non-adherence to
standard precaution in the clinical management of patients.
Reports show that in 2024, the country recorded a total of 1667
suspected cases, 328 confirmed cases, and 63 deaths from the disease.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Lassa fever is
endemic in Nigeria, and the annual peak of cases is typically observed
during the dry season (December-April).
Dr Idris, the director general of NCDC, said the country has continued
to see a steady increase in the number of states reporting Lassa fever
cases.
He said the rise is due, in part, to improved surveillance, better
community awareness, environmental degradation from climate change,
and other harmful human activities.
The NCDC boss explained that the disease is also associated with
significant loss of livelihood in the communities it ravages.
“Heads of households are unable to work when exposed to Lassa fever
and when other household members are infected, the cost of care and
treatment of the disease which is often significant strains existing
household income pushing households toward poverty in a swift turn of
events,” he stated.
He said healthcare workers are also not excluded as there is a high
chance of infection if proper infection prevention and control
measures are not observed.
He added that early diagnosis of the disease when experiencing
symptoms increases the chances of survival.
The NCDC boss said the national Lassa fever multi-partner,
multi-sectoral incident management system (IMS) has been activated to
coordinate the response activities at all levels.
Earlier in December [2024], he said the emergency operations centre
(EOC) was activated to ensure seamless coordination of Lassa fever
control and management activities using a One Health approach.
He further said in preparation for this outbreak season, critical
medical supplies, infection prevention and control (IPC) materials,
and laboratory diagnostic tools and materials have been distributed to
various states nationwide.
He said, “Our goal is to reduce the number of cases and importantly,
deaths.”
He said Lassa Fever testing laboratories had also been expanded from
about 9 to 13, adding that more would be upgraded.
Medical experts said Nigeria should increase efforts towards
preventing the disease.
They advised individuals, health workers, families, and communities to
improve on their personal hygiene and also ensure that their houses
are free from rats, and properly cover all foods and drinks.
Dr Joseph Okoeguale, director, Institute of Viral and Emergent
Pathogens Control and Research (IVEPCR), Irrua Specialist Teaching
Hospital (ISTH), Irrua, Edo State, said preventing the spread of Lassa
fever and developing a vaccine are critical to combating the disease.
Dr Okoeguale, who is also a past chief medical director of Irrua
Specialist Teaching Hospital, said it is important for healthcare
workers to have a high index of suspicion during outbreak periods.
“Furthermore, maintaining universal standards of operating procedures
will prevent a lot of health-related infections. The healthcare worker
must be able to maintain high standards of IPC for dreaded infections
such as Lassa fever and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.”
Dr Ogugua Osi-Ogbu, a consultant physician, said it was necessary for
people to keep their environments clean and protect their food, eating
utensils, water, or anything they ingest through their mouths.
She said people should not leave water open, but keep it safe in a
container with a tight cover that would be difficult for rats to
enter.
“When rats have played on them and you don’t wash before use, your
food will be contaminated,” she said.
The physician, however, added that not every fever is malaria. She
advised that when people have fever that has been treated and is not
going away, they must visit the hospital because there could be other
reasons, one of which is Lassa fever.
Dr Francis Erah, a consultant public health physician at Irrua
Specialist Teaching Hospital and data manager of the ENABLE 1.5 study,
said a vaccine for Lassa fever would help reduce the burden of the
disease in Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region.
He said, “Even if you have few cases of people coming down with
symptoms, the severity will be minimised, and chances are that people
will live healthier.”
Also, the NCDC advised Nigerians to “eliminate rats in homes and
communities using rat traps and block all holes in the house to
prevent entry of rats.”