One hundred and fifty-six people have died from Lassa Fever across the country in the last four months, Nigeria’s health authorities have said.
This is as Africa’s most populous nation recorded 857 cases of Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
In its latest Lassa fever situation report which covers January to 28 April, the public health agency said the fatalities were recorded with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.2 per cent which is higher than 17.0 per cent recorded in the same period in 2023.
The NCDC report covered 28 out of the 36 states of the federation for week 17 spanning from 22-28 April, and also noted an increase in the number of confirmed cases from 11 in week 16 to 14 in the reporting week.
According to the reports, 63 per cent of all the confirmed cases in 2024 were from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi while 37 per cent were reported from 25 states.
When compared to the 2023 report, the suspected cases increased from 5,084 cases to 5,963 cases in 2024.
