About 8,569 suspected cases, of Lassa fever 1,035 confirmed cases, and 174 deaths were recorded across 28 states and 129 LGAs in the country as of October 13, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has cautioned Nigerians to avoid drying food stuff outside on the ground or roadside, where it is at risk of contamination, discourage bush burning, and eliminate rats in homes and communities through appropriate and safe means.

Director General of NCDC, Jide Idris, who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, noted that the agency has continued to see a steady increase in the number of states reporting Lassa fever cases.

He added that the rise is due to improved surveillance, better community awareness, environmental degradation from climate change, and other harmful human activities.

He observed that in 2022, Nigeria reported 1,067 confirmed cases across 27 states and 112 LGAs while in 2023, 28 states and 114 LGAs reported confirmed cases, with 9,155 suspected cases, 1,270 confirmed cases, and 227 deaths.

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Idris said that Lassa fever outbreaks are highly virulent and the loss of human lives resulting from disease are not just statistics but represent the death of beloved family members.

He noted that healthcare workers are also not excluded as there is a high chance of infection if proper infection prevention and control measures are not observed and experienced healthcare workers may die, further straining the country’s already insufficient human resources for health.

He observed that Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) caused by the Lassa virus adding that the natural reservoir for the virus is the multimammate rat while other rodents can also act as carriers of the virus

Idris noted that the disease is also associated with significant loss of livelihood in the communities it ravages.

According to him, people most at risk for Lassa fever include people of all age groups who come in contact with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats, people living in rat-infested environments, and people who consume potentially contaminated foodstuff, especially those left open overnight or dried outside in the open among others

Idris said that early diagnosis and treatment of the diseases greatly increase the chances of patient survival.

He urged Nigerians to always keep their environment clean, block all holes in their houses to prevent the entry of rats and other rodents, cover the dustbins, and dispose of refuse properly.

He implored communities to set up dump sites far from their homes to reduce the chances of the entry of rodents into their homes.