Lassa Fever Claims 41 Lives in 19 Nigerian States – Minister

Nigeria’s Health Minister, Osagie Ehanire on Tuesday revealed that Lassa fever has killed at least 41 people in 19 states in Nigeria.

Making the revelation, the Minister said that 258 cases have been confirmed already in 19 states with forty-one of them dead.

“Lassa fever is a disease that is indigenous to our country because it occurs every year, particularly in the dry season.

“As of the 28th of January, 2020, 258 confirmed cases and 41 deaths have been reported in 19 states, with a majority of the cases from Ebonyi, Edo and Ondo states,” he told reporters.

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Continuing, Ehanire said: “Given the tropical climate in Nigeria and the abundance of the disease vectors, the high risk of infectious diseases like Lassa fever is high.

“Despite the increase in confirmed cases, the overall case-fatality rate for 2020 has been just about 15 percent compared to the same in 2019, which was 20 percent.

“A few years ago the case fatality rate was over 30 percent.”

The Minister also told reporters that the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has activated a National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to coordinate responses to the Lassa fever outbreak in a bid to stop the outbreak.

Addressing the current Corona virus epidemic, Ehanire said that his ministry was collaborating with relevant agencies and other ministries to strengthen points of entry in the country and the response of health workers to ensure that the country does not fall victim to the deadly virus.