Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Tuesday said 110 people have died, while 78 cases have been confirmed in 18 States since the outbreak of lassa fever in the country.
In a statement, Chikwe Ihekweazu, Chief Executive Officer, NCDC said 35 new cases were confirmed from 5 states, Edo (19), Ondo (5), Bauchi (1), Ebonyi (9), and Plateau (1), with seven new deaths in confirmed cases from 3 states Ondo (2), Edo (2), and Ebonyi (3).
According to the statement, from January 1 to March 4 2018, there has been a total of 1121 suspected cases. Of these, 353 are confirmed while 7 new deaths, 8 in probable cases and 24 in negative cases. Case Fatality Rate in confirmed and probable cases is 23.8%.
Since the onset of the 2018 outbreak, there have been 110 deaths: 78 in positive-confirmed cases.
The statement said between February 26 and March 4, 2018, thirty five new confirmed cases were positive; 8 were probable; 723 are negative (not a case) and 37 are awaiting laboratory results (pending); 18 States are active (Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Plateau, Lagos, Taraba, Delta, Osun, Rivers, FCT, Gombe and Ekiti).
It was also revealed that two health workers were confirmed positive this week in Ebonyi State. Cumulatively, sixteen health care workers have been affected in six states, indicating, Ebonyi (9), Nasarawa (1), Kogi (1), Benue (1), Ondo (1) and Edo (3) with four deaths in Ebonyi (3) and Kogi (1).
According to the statement the age-group affected is 21-40 years (Range: 9 months to 92 years, Median Age: 34 years).
The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 2:1.
85% of all confirmed cases are from Edo (44%) Ondo (25%) and Ebonyi (16%) states.
A total of 3126 contacts have been identified from 18 active states. Of these 1586 are currently being followed up, 1485 have completed 21 days follow up and 21 of the 47 symptomatic contacts have tested positive from 3 states (Edo-11, Ondo-7 and Ebonyi-3).
Cases currently on admission this weekend at Irrua Specialist Hospital (35), FMC Owo (18) and FETH Abakiliki (16) all isolation beds at the treatment facilities occupied.
The NCDC boss said, the staff of NCDC staff and Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (NFELTP) residents) batch B continues their response support in Ebonyi, Ondo and Edo States.
While World Health Organizations (WHO), and NCDC have scaled up response at National and State levels.
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Germany is currently supporting ISTH, NRL and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Laboratories with testing reagents.
He said NCDC has distributed response commodities -PPEs, Ribavirin (injection and tablets), beds, body bags and hand sanitizers to Federal Medical Center, Owo, FETH Abakiliki, Niger and Ekiti states in the reporting week.
NCDC is collaborating with ALIMA and MSF in Edo, Ondo and Anambra States to support case management. NCDC deployed teams to four Benin Republic border states (Kebbi, Kwara, Niger and Oyo) for enhanced surveillance activities.
National Lassa fever multi-partner multi-agency Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) continues to coordinate the response activities at all levels, he stated.
LAIDE AKINBOADE-ORIERE
