#Lassa fever: NCDC confirms 355 cases in less than 2 months

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) said it has confirmed 355 cases of Lassa fever out of 1139 suspected cases recorded between January 1 to February 17, 2019.

In a statement, the NCDC said the 1139 suspected cases were reported in 20 states.

“From 1st January – 17th February 2019, a total of 1139 suspected cases have been reported from 20 States. Of these, 355 were confirmed positive, 3 probable and 781 negatives (not a case)”, the NCDC said, adding that since the onset of the 2019 outbreak, there have been 75 deaths among confirmed cases.

“Case Fatality Rate in confirmed cases is 21.1%”, it added.

According to the NCDC, in the reporting Week 7 (11 – 17 February, 2019), there were twenty-five new confirmed cases,  Edo (6), Ondo (2), Ebonyi (1 ), Plateau (2), Taraba (4), Bauchi (8), Gombe (1), Kogi (1) and Kebbi (1).
It added that  six new deaths were recorded in Ondo and Kogi states as follows,  Ondo (3), Bauchi (2) and Kogi (1).

The NCDC said 33 suspected cases of cholera were reported from three LGAs in two States (Bayelsa – 30 & Kano – 3) in week 7, 2019 compared with three suspected cases reported from Kaduna south LGA in Kaduna State during the same period in 2018.

Between weeks 1 and 7 (2019), 111 suspected cholera cases with one laboratory confirmed and six deaths in ten LGAs (six States) compared with 869 suspected cases and 22 deaths in 43 LGAs in 12 States during the same period in 2018.

It said that NCDC has disseminated cholera alert mails and line list template to all states in preparedness for dry season transmission.