Nigeria: 2018 Lassa Fever

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Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lassa-fever-1.4533098



Nigeria reports 450 suspected cases of Lassa fever
World Health Organization says it is scaling up its response to the outbreak
CBC News Posted: Feb 13, 2018 11:20 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 13, 2018 11:20 AM ET

The World Health Organization says an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria may have infected up to 450 people in less than five weeks.

The United Nations health agency said Tuesday that it is scaling up its response to the outbreak, which has spread to 17 states.

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 4, nearly 450 suspected cases were reported, of which 132 are laboratory confirmed Lassa fever. Of these, 43 deaths were reported, including 37 that were lab confirmed.

"The high number of Lassa fever cases is concerning. We are observing an unusually high number of cases for this time of year," Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Representative to Nigeria, said in a release...

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Source: http://saharareporters.com/2018/02/1...l-hospitalized


Lassa Fever Kills 11 People In Edo State, Many Still Hospitalized
No fewer than 11 persons have died of Lassa fever in Edo State in the latest outbreak of the hemorrhagic disease.
by PM News, Lagos Feb 16, 2018

No fewer than 11 persons have died of Lassa fever in Edo State in the latest outbreak of the hemorrhagic disease.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. David Osifo, who disclosed this at a press briefing to announce a successful stem cell transplant carried out by a private hospital, Celltek Healthcare Medical Centre, in Benin, added that 45 confirmed cases were recorded in the State.

Osifo said that the recorded cases were receiving treatment at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital.

?In terms of the state, there are about 45 confirmed cases from Edo State. At the initial stage of the outbreak, a lot of people were not aware and so, awareness was a problem."...

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Source: http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/16/lassa...men-one-benue/

Lassa fever kills two pregnant women, one other in Benue
Published on February 16, 2018
By Fikayo Olowolagba

Lassa fever has claimed two pregnant women and a man in Makurdi, Benue State.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Cecilia Ojabo disclosed this to newsmen in Makurdi on Thurdsay...

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Source: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.ph...sons-in-benue/


Family Quarantined after Lassa Fever Kills Three Persons in Benue
February 18, 2018
George Okoh in Makurdi

The Benue State Government Ministry of Health has quarantined an entire family in Adoka, Otukpo Local Government, Benue State, over the outbreak of Lassa fever and the death of a family member.

The State Commissioner for Health, Mrs. Cecilia Ojabo, who confirmed that two pregnant women and a man died in Makurdi of Lassa fever, said the ministry is putting the family under close monitoring so as to ensure that the fever does not spread to others.

She said one of the pregnant women was confirmed positive when her blood sample was sent to a specialist hospital in Irua in Edo State. She said the other patient commenced treatment for Lassa fever at the designated centre located at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi but died in the process...

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Source: https://www.channelstv.com/2018/02/1...s-three-delta/


Lassa Fever Kills Three Persons In Delta
Vivian Oramadike
Updated February 18, 2018

Delta State Government on Sunday confirmed that two lives were lost as a result of the resurgence of Lassa fever in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye said the two persons who died were part of the three victims that migrated from Anambra state to Delta State.

Ononye also confirms to Channels Television that since January 2018, seven confirmed cases have been recorded while 24 persons have been placed under surveillance...

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Source: https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/...s-lassa-fever/

Edo records 521 suspected cases of Lassa fever
Published 4 hours ago
on February 22, 2018
By Correspondents

Director of Disease Control, Edo State, Dr. Osamuwonyi Irowa, has said that the state recorded 521 suspected cases of Lassa fever this month.

Irowa disclosed this at the inauguration of the Emergency Operation Centre on Lassa fever in Benin yesterday.

He said 124 cases had been confirmed out of the 521 suspected cases recorded in 13 local government areas.

The director, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), also said 15 deaths were recorded with 509 cases under surveillance, while 10 suspected cases had developed symptoms...

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Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ew-cases-surge



Lassa Fever Outbreak Kills 73 in Nigeria as New Cases Surge
By Tope Alake
February 22, 2018, 1:31 PM EST

Nigeria is grappling with an outbreak of Lassa fever, which has caused 73 deaths this year as the number of new confirmed cases surged in the past week, according to the country?s Center for Disease Control.

The acute viral haemorrhagic illness is endemic in several West African countries including Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization who said earlier this month it was scaling up its response to the outbreak which has spread to 17 of Nigeria?s 36 states...

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Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/lassa-f...ne-life-abuja/


Lassa fever claims one life in Abuja
Posted By: Justice Ilevbare On: February 22, 2018 In: News Update

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Thursday confirmed the death of one person in the two cases of Lassa fever recorded in the territory.

Dr Humphrey Okoroukwu, the Director of Public Health in Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCT, confirmed this in an interview in Abuja...

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Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/...s-lassa-fever/

Monday 26 February
Nigeria records 43 deaths from Lassa Fever
On February 26, 201812:33 amIn
By Gabriel Olawale

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, yesterday disclosed that 43 persons have died from Lassa fever outbreak in less than two months. According to information made available on its website, the government agency disclosed that out of the 615 suspected cases reported across 17 states, ?193 have been confirmed positive to the Lassa fever virus. 43 deaths were recorded in confirmed cases giving a case fatality rate of 23.9 percent...

[Pathfinder]

Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin, Week 8: 17 - 23 February 2018

Lassa fever Nigeria
913
Cases
73
Deaths
8.0%
CFR


EVENT DESCRIPTION
The Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria continues to evolve. In week 7 (week
ending 18 February 2018), 68 new confirmed cases, including four
deaths (case fatality rate 8%) were reported, compared to 19 confirmed
cases in week 6. The new cases came from seven states, namely Edo
(35), Ondo (19 cases and 2 deaths), Ebonyi (7), Anambra (4), Bauchi (1
case and 2 deaths), Imo (1), and the Federal Capital Territory (1).

Between 1 January and 18 February 2018, a total of 913 suspected cases
and 73 deaths (case fatality rate 8%) have been reported from 17 states
(Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Gombe, Kogi, Lagos,
Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, and the Federal Capital
Territory). Two thirds of the cases are male and the people predominantly
affected are between 30 and 50 years (median age 32).
Of 277 cases with laboratory results, 272 were positive for Lassa fever,
while five cases were classified as probable. A total of 59 deaths have
occurred among the confirmed (54) and probable (5) cases, giving a case
fatality rate of 21.3% in this group. Over 80% of the confirmed cases are
from the three hotspot states of Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi (Edo and Ondo
states account for 74% of confirmed cases). Fourteen healthcare workers
from six states have been affected, and four of them died. A total of 2 351
contacts have been identified and 1 747 (74.3%) are still under follow up.
...
SITUATION INTERPRETATION
Nigeria continues to experience a Lassa fever outbreak, with an increasing number of new cases being reported. Only three states have dedicated treatment centres.

This means that clinical management is likely to happen in health centres which are not appropriately prepared to handle Lassa fever patients, thus exposing healthcare workers to infection. Given the current trend and wide geographical spread of the disease, there is an urgent need to scale up response operations in the country.

This should involve mobilization of local capacities at the state and national levels, in addition to technical assistance from partners. Scaling up interventions requires resources, including funding, technical human capacity and logistics.

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/1...1723022018.pdf

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Source: http://www.who.int/csr/don/01-march-...er-nigeria/en/
Lassa Fever ? Nigeria

Disease outbreak news
1 March 2018

From 1 January through 25 February 2018, 1081 suspected cases and 90 deaths have been reported from 18 states (Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekite, Federal Capital Territory, Gombe, Imo, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, and Taraba). During this period, 317 cases have been classified as confirmed and eight as probable, including 72 deaths (case fatality rate for confirmed and probable cases = 22%). A total of 2845 contacts have been identified in 18 states.
Fourteen health care workers have been affected in six states (Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Ondo), with four deaths (case fatality rate= 29%). As of 18 February, four out of the 14 health care workers were confirmed positive for Lassa fever.
Lassa fever case management centers are operational in four states (Anambra, Abakaliki, Edo, and Ondo States). The health care workers working in these centers are trained in standard infection control and prevention (IPC) as well as use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition, the suspected cases and deaths reported in community settings are being actively investigated by the field teams and contacts are being followed up. Currently, three laboratories are operational and testing samples for Lassa fever by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). WHO continues to support the outbreak response, mainly in the domains of enhanced surveillance, contact tracing, strengthening of diagnostic capacity and risk communication.
Lassa fever is endemic in the West African countries of Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Benin, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria. As of 22 February 2018, 10 suspected cases who fell ill in Nigeria were reported in Benin, and confirmed cases have been reported from Beninese states that border Nigeria. The outbreak of Lassa fever is considered active in one Nigerian state that borders Benin and two that border Cameroon. Lassa fever is not considered endemic in Cameroon and no outbreaks of Lassa fever have been reported in recent years.
Public health response

• A national Lassa fever Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was activated in Abuja on 22 January and continues to coordinate response activities in collaboration with WHO and other partners.
• A team of Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) staff and Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (NFELTP) residents were deployed to respond to the Ebonyi, Ondo, and Edo outbreaks.
• The three most affected states of Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi have dedicated Lassa fever treatment units and ribavirin is available for treatment of confirmed cases. NCDC is collaborating with a non-governmental organization, the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), to conduct an assessment of treatment units.
• Enhanced surveillance is ongoing in states with an active outbreak and state line lists of cases are being uploaded to a national level database, a viral haemorrhagic fever management system.
• NCDC has supplied Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre Owo with tents and beds to increase in-patient capacity.
• Staff from Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital are providing clinical case management advice to other hospitals with suspected cases, and a 24-hour Lassa fever case management call line has been established.

WHO risk assessment

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever that is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces. Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur. The overall case fatality rate is 1%; it is 15% among patients hospitalized with severe illness. Early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival. The antiviral drug ribavirin seems to be an effective treatment for Lassa fever if given early on in the course of clinical illness. There is no evidence to support the role of ribavirin as post-exposure prophylactic treatment for Lassa fever. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin, Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria, and most likely exists in other West African countries.
The current Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria shows an increasing trend in the number of cases and deaths in recent weeks with 317 confirmed cases reported in 2018 so far. This is the largest outbreak of Lassa fever ever reported in Nigeria.
The infection of 14 health care workers that were not working in Lassa fever case management centers highlights the urgent need to strengthen infection prevention and control practices in all health care setting for all patients, regardless of their presumed diagnosis. Given the high number of states affected, the clinical management will likely happen in health centers that are not appropriately prepared to care for patients affected by Lassa fever and the risk of infection in health care workers will increase.
The reporting of confirmed cases in different parts of the country and porous borders with neighbouring countries indicate a risk of spread nationally and to neighbouring countries. An overall moderate level of risk remains at the regional level. Public health actions should be focused on enhancing ongoing activities including surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, and case management. Greater coordination and information sharing regarding Lassa fever cases and contacts with Benin would also contribute to rapid detection and response to cross-border spread of the outbreak.
WHO advice

Prevention of Lassa fever relies on community engagement and promoting hygienic conditions to discourage rodents from entering homes. In healthcare settings, staff should consistently implement standard infection prevention and control measures when caring for patients to prevent nosocomial infections.
Travellers from areas where Lassa fever is endemic can export the disease to other countries, although this rarely occurs. The diagnosis of Lassa fever should be considered in febrile patients returning from West Africa, especially if they have been in rural areas or hospitals in countries where Lassa fever is endemic. Health care workers seeing a patient suspected to have Lassa fever should immediately contact local and national experts for guidance and to arrange for laboratory testing.
For more information on Lassa fever, please see the link below:

• WHO fact sheet on Lassa fever

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Source: https://tvcnews.tv/2018/03/death-tol...ses-to-90-cdc/



March 3, 2018
TVCN 0
Death toll in Lassa Fever outbreak rises to 90 ? CDC

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has confirmed that 90 (ninety) persons have died of Lassa fever since its resurgence some months ago.The situation report released on Friday disclosed that from January to February 25, 2018, 1081 (One thousand and eighty-one) suspected cases have been reported from 18 states.

These states are Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Plateau, Lagos, Taraba, Delta, Osun, Rivers, FCT, Gombe and Ekiti...

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Source: http://www.tv360nigeria.com/death-to...reak-hits-110/


Death toll in Nigeria?s Lassa fever outbreak hits 110
By Okponyia Onyedikachi
Mar 05, 2018, 18:29 pm

The death toll in Nigeria?s Lassa fever outbreak has hit a record 110, representing the worst outbreak in the country?s history.

The new figure which was confirmed by the country?s Centre for Disease Control on Monday represents a 23.8% fatality rate from 1121 suspected cases in 2018 alone.

The report says seven new deaths were confirmed between February 26 and March 4 from 35 confirmed cases within the same time frame.

Two health workers were among the 35 confirmed cases, while 16 heath workers have been affected overall with four deaths in Ebonyi (3) and Kogi (1).

Since the outbreak began in 2018, 18 states have been affected including Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Plateau, Lagos, Taraba, Delta, Osun, Rivers, FCT, Gombe and Ekiti.

85% of all confirmed cases are from Edo (44%) Ondo (25%) and Ebonyi (16%) states...

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Source: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.ph...reak-in-ekiti/


Three Die in Fresh Lassa Fever Outbreak in Ekiti
March 13, 2018
By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Ekiti State Government has said that three persons have been killed in a fresh outbreak of Lassa Fever in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olurotimi Ojo, who disclosed this in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, said that five out of the eight suspected cases in the state tested negative while one was uncertain and the last one pending as at press time.

Ojo added that the patient that tested positive and two others have passed away...

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Source: http://www.pulse.ng/news/local/86-co...id8141054.html
A new report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed that the Lassa Fever outbreak of 2018 has led to the death of 86 Nigerians out of a total of 1495 suspected cases.

In the situation report released on Sunday, March 18, 2018, the agency revealed that 86 people have died in positive-confirmed cases while 24 others died despite being negative, with 9 probable cases still pending. The Case Fatality Rate in confirmed and probable cases is 24.7%.
The report read, "19 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 56 Local Government Areas (Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Plateau, Lagos, Taraba, Delta, Osun, Rivers, FCT, Gombe, Ekiti and Kaduna). Nine states have exited the active phase of the outbreak, 10 States remain active.
"In the reporting week 11, no new healthcare worker was affected. 17 health care workers have been affected since the onset of the outbreak in six states - Ebonyi (9), Nasarawa (1), Kogi (2), Benue (1), Ondo (1) and Edo (3) with four deaths in Ebonyi (3) and Kogi (1).
"83% of all confirmed cases are from Edo (43%) Ondo (24%) and Ebonyi (16%) states. 38 cases are currently under treatment in treatment centres across six states (Edo (10), Ondo (8), Ebonyi (4), Bauchi (10), Taraba (5) and Plateau (1).
"A total of 3675 contacts have been identified from 19 states. Of these 805 are currently being followed up, 2863 have completed 21 days follow up while 7 were lost follow up. Twenty three (23) of the 59 symptomatic contacts have tested positive from 3 states (Edo -12, Ondo -7, Ebonyi - 3 and Kogi -1)."...

[Pathfinder]

Nigeria Faces Mystifying Spike In Deadly Lassa Fever

March 19, 201811:47 AM ET
JASON BEAUBIEN
...
While researchers still haven't figured out why the virus is spreading so fast, they do know the main culprit in this outbreak ? rats.

"The most likely route of transmission continues to be spillover of viruses from the rodent reservoir to humans rather than extensive human-to-human transmission," the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said in a report last week.
...
The NCDC has been scrambling to test more than 1,300 suspected Lassa cases from all over the country and is also running genetic sequencing on the blood samples to try to determine how the virus is spreading.

So is Nathan Yozwiak, associate director of viral genomics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Yozwiak has been studying samples of Lassa virus gathered during this current outbreak and from previous years. So far his research suggests that the transmission is primarily not human to human. His lab can also spot whether the virus itself is changing and possibly becoming more virulent. Yozwiak says that doesn't seem to be the case.

"So there could be something going on with the rodent population," he proposes. Maybe something's happened in the environment that has led to a rat population explosion.

And that might be the problem, he suggests, noting that Nigeria recently had an outbreak of monkeypox, which is "also transmitted by rodent vectors."

Another theory is that Nigeria is reporting more Lassa cases this year because more people are aware of it.
...

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/03/19/587603462/nigeria-faces-mystiifying-spike-in-deadly-lassa-fever

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Source: http://www.who.int/csr/don/23-march-...er-nigeria/en/
Lassa Fever ? Nigeria

Disease outbreak news
23 March 2018

From 1 January through 18 March 2018, 1495 suspected cases and 119 deaths have been reported from 19 states (Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Federal Capital Territory, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, and Taraba). During this period 376 patients were confirmed, nine were classified as probable, 1084 tested negative and 26 are awaiting laboratory results (pending). Among the 376 cases classified as confirmed and nine classified as probable, 95 deaths were reported (case fatality rate for confirmed and probable cases = 24.7%).
From 1 January through 18 March, seventeen health care workers in six states (Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Ondo) have been infected, four of whom have died.
Since 1 January 2018, the number of Lassa fever cases increased from 10 to 70 weekly reported cases. However since mid-February, there has been a downward trend in the weekly reported number of Lassa fever cases.
Lassa fever case management centres are operational in three states (Ebonyi, Edo, and Ondo States). The health care workers working in these centres are trained in standard infection control and prevention (IPC) as well as use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and case management. In addition, the suspected cases and deaths reported in community settings are being actively investigated by the field teams and contacts are being followed up. Currently, three laboratories at Abuja, Irrua and Lagos are operational and testing samples for Lassa fever by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Phylogenetic analysis of 27 viruses detected during the 2018 outbreak, performed at Irrua and Bernard Nocht Institute, has shown evidence of multiple, independent introductions of different viruses and viruses similar to previously circulating lineages identified in Nigeria. This highlights the spillover from the rodent population rather than human to human transmission.
WHO continues to support the outbreak response, mainly in the domains of enhanced surveillance, contact tracing, strengthening of diagnostic capacity, case management, IPC and risk communication. In addition, WHO continues to work on standardizing treatment guidance across all treatment centres and on standardization of the reporting.
Lassa fever is endemic in the West African countries of Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Benin, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria.
Public health response

• A national Lassa fever Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was activated in Abuja on 22 January and continues to coordinate response activities in collaboration with WHO and other partners.
• A comprehensive incident action plan has been developed to guide response activities and inform priority areas for collaboration with partners and resource mobilization.
• A team of Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) staff and Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (NFELTP) residents were deployed to respond to the Ebonyi, Ondo, and Edo outbreaks. State level EOCs have also been created.
• The three most affected states of Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi have dedicated Lassa fever treatment units and intravenous ribavirin is available for treatment of confirmed cases.
• NCDC is collaborating with a non-governmental organization, the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), to support the treatment centres in Owo and Irrua; and with M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) to support IPC interventions in Abakaliki.
• Enhanced surveillance is ongoing in states with an active outbreak and state line lists of cases are being uploaded to a national level database, a viral haemorrhagic fever management system.
• NCDC with partners ALIMA have supplied Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre Owo with tents and beds to increase in-patient capacity. NCDC with WHO support has supplied PPE to all treatment centres.
• Staff from Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital are providing clinical case management advice to other hospitals with suspected cases, and a 24-hour Lassa fever case management call line has been established. A Lassa fever committee has been established in Abakaliki to improve the care of patients affected by Lassa fever.
• NCDC has deployed risk communication and community engagement teams to Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi to promote personal and community hygiene, as well as prompt health seeking behaviour.

WHO risk assessment

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever that is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces. Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur when there is unprotected contact with blood or bodily fluids. Although the overall case fatality rate is 1% in all patients with Lassa fever (when asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients are included), mortality has been reported to be as high as 20% or higher among patients hospitalized with severe illness. Early supportive care with rehydration and ribavirin treatment improves survival. There is no evidence to support the role of ribavirin as post-exposure prophylactic treatment for Lassa fever, except for high-risk contacts. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin, Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria, and most likely exists in other West African countries.
The current Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria shows a decreasing trend in the number of cases and deaths in the most recent four weeks. This declining trend needs to be interpreted with caution as historical data shows that the high transmission period has not passed. The surveillance system has recently been strengthened. This is the largest outbreak of Lassa fever ever reported in Nigeria.
The infection of 17 health care workers highlights the urgent need to strengthen infection prevention and control practices in all health care setting for all patients, regardless of their presumed diagnosis. Given the high number of states affected, triage and initial clinical management will likely happen in health centres that are not appropriately prepared to care for patients affected by Lassa fever and the risk of infection in health care workers will increase.
The reporting of confirmed cases in different parts of the country and porous borders with neighbouring countries indicate a risk of spread nationally and to neighbouring countries. An overall moderate level of risk remains at the regional level. Public health actions should be focused on enhancing ongoing activities including surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, and case management. Greater coordination and information sharing regarding Lassa fever cases and contacts with Benin would also contribute to rapid detection and response to cross-border spread of the outbreak.
WHO advice

Prevention of Lassa fever relies on community engagement and promoting hygienic conditions to discourage rodents from entering homes. In healthcare settings, staff should consistently implement standard infection prevention and control measures when caring for patients to prevent nosocomial spread of infections.
Travellers from areas where Lassa fever is endemic can export the disease to other countries, although this rarely occurs. The diagnosis of Lassa fever should be considered in febrile patients returning from West Africa, especially if they have been in rural areas or hospitals in countries where Lassa fever is endemic. Health care workers seeing a patient suspected to have Lassa fever should immediately contact local and national experts for guidance and to arrange for laboratory testing and use appropriate infection and control measures.
For more information on Lassa fever, please see the link below:

• WHO fact sheet on Lassa fever

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.today.ng/news/nigeria/10...emains-concern


Nigeria?s Lassa fever outbreak slowing, but remains a concern ? WHO
By
TODAY Staff -
March 26, 2018


After nearly 400 confirmed infections and 100 deaths, the spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria is beginning to slow but the epidemic is far from contained, the World Health Organisation and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have warned.

NCDC?s latest data shows that the number of new confirmed and probable cases has been falling for five consecutive weeks, indicating that public health measures are proving effective, but more infections are expected until the end of the dry season, as the viral haemorrhagic fever is endemic to the area.

Between January 1 and March 25, the NCDC reported 394 laboratory confirmed cases. There were 18 new confirmed cases in the last reporting week (19-25 March 2018), compared to 54 confirmed cases a month earlier (19-25 February 2018).

?We should interpret the recent declining trend in new cases with caution. The Lassa fever season is not yet over. We need to maintain vigilance and response operations, and ensure continued engagement with communities to help curb the further spread of Lassa fever,? said Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Representative to Nigeria.

The current epidemic is Nigeria?s largest on record, with the number of confirmed cases in January and February alone exceeding the total number reported in the whole of 2017.

The case count has not yet fallen to usual endemic levels and the exact cause for the high numbers of infections has not been pinpointed. Research is being conducted in real-time to answer some of these questions.

?We are researching what has led to so many people becoming infected with Lassa fever,? said Chikwe Ihekweazu, Chief Executive Officer of the NCDC.

?Even with a downward trend, until we can better understand the causes behind its rapid spread, we must treat the outbreak as a priority.?...