Lassa Fever: Nigeria Records 411 Cases, 72 Deaths, Says NCDC 

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has  said that Lassa Fever has claimed the lives of 72  persons in the country.

According to its latest report on Lassa Fever situation in Nigeria, as of 11th February 2024, Nigeria has recorded a total of 411 confirmed cases and 72 deaths from Lassa fever.

The Centre said that confirmed cases were reported in 21 states and 78 local government areas across the country. 

It said that Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi accounted for 65 percent of all the confirmed cases, with Ondo reporting 24 percent, Edo 23 percent, and Bauchi 18 percent. The remaining 35 percent of cases were reported in 17 other states.

The NCDC said that the most affected age group by Lassa fever is 21-30 years, and two new health workers were affected during the reporting week.

In response to the Lassa fever outbreak, the agency noted that the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System has been activated. 

The system according to NCDC aims to coordinate response efforts at all levels through the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).