WEEKLY BULLETIN ON OUTBREAKS
AND OTHER EMERGENCIES
Week 50: 5 - 11 December 2022
Data as reported by: 17:00; 11 December 2022
...
Lassa fever Liberia
67 cases
22 Deaths
32.8% CFR
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Confirmed cases of Lassa fever have previously been reported in
Liberia for more than six years. In 2021, the country experienced
a total of 12 outbreaks of Lassa fever including 25 laboratory
confirmed cases with 16 deaths accounting for a 64.0% case
fatality ratio (CFR). These outbreaks generated a total of 325
contacts of which 196 were healthcare workers. Between 2016
and 2020, a total of 165 confirmed cases including 66 deaths
were reported (CFR 40.0%) in seven out of the 15 counties in
Liberia.
Since early January to 1 December 2022, the country has
experienced seven outbreaks amounting to 67 laboratory
confirmed cases including 22 deaths (CFR 32.8%). A total of
669 contacts were recorded including 344(51.4%) healthcare
workers, of which 5 (1.0%) became confirmed cases.
Of the 15 counties in Liberia, five have reported confirmed cases.
The most affected counties are Bong (22 cases, four deaths),
Grand Bassa (26 cases, six deaths), and Nimba (17 cases, 11
deaths). Montserrado and River Gee counties have each reported
one confirmed case with one death in River Gee County.
Of the 67 confirmed cases, nearly half are males (49.3%).
The most affected age group is 15-29 years old with 26 cases
(38.8%), followed by the under-15 years age group with 22 cases
(32.8%), 30-44 years old with 15 cases (22.4%), and 45 years
old and older with four cases (6.0%). The majority of confirmed
cases are students.
PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS
Since the outbreaks of 2022, response measures have been put
in place, including surveillance and laboratory testing, vector
surveillance and control, case management, etc. The National
Public Health Institute of Liberia and the Ministry of Health are
providing technical and logistical support to County Health Teams
with support from partners. Below are the details of the actions
taken in the current outbreak:
Active case finding and contact tracing are ongoing in
affected communities and districts
Development and dissemination of weekly situation reports
by affected counties
Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response 3rd edition
trainings have been conducted in affected counties
The National Public Health Reference Laboratory continues
testing Lassa fever samples
Cases isolation and management at designated facilities
Ongoing clean-up campaigns and rodent control measures
in affected counties (Bong, Grand Bassa, and Nimba)
Risk communication and community engagement are
ongoing in affected and surrounding communities. Airing
of jingles on Lassa fever prevention and control in Bong,
Nimba, and Grand Bassa Counties is underway.
SITUATION INTERPRETATION
Liberia is one of the West African countries where Lassa fever is
endemic along with Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Mali, Sierra
Leone, and Togo. The CFR has halved in 2022 (32.8%) compared
to 2021 (64.0%). This may be attributed to improved case
management as a result of the availability of injectable Ribavirin
medicine procured by WHO and prepositioned to district level
hospitals in all counties reporting suspected and confirmed
cases. However, efforts still need to be made for an earlier arrival
of cases at health facilities for earlier case management, which
could contribute to further reducing the number of deaths.
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/365336/OEW50-0511122022.pdf
