NCDC confirms two deaths from Lassa fever in Ondo, Ebonyi

Nigeria Centres for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed two deaths from Lassa fever in Ondo and Ebonyi states.

NCDC, in the reporting Week 41 (October 8-14, 2018), published yesterday confirmed 13 new cases of Lassa fever from Edo (four), Ondo (four) Ebonyi (two) Delta (one), Kogi (one), and Imo (one).

The Centre noted that from January 1 to October 14, 2018, a total of 2,706 suspected cases have been reported from 22 states.

Of these, 536 were confirmed positive, 16 probable, and 2153 negative (not a case).

It noted that since the onset of the 2018 outbreak, there have been 137 deaths in confirmed cases and 16 in probable cases and Case Fatality Rate in confirmed cases at 25.6 per cent.

According to the report, 22 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 89 local council areas.

The states are Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Plateau, Lagos, Taraba, Delta, Osun, Rivers, FCT, Gombe, Ekiti, Kaduna, Abia, Adamawa and Enugu.

Also, 15 states have exited the active phase of the outbreak, while seven: Edo, Delta, Ondo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Kogi and Imo states remain active.

However, the NCDC, in the reporting week 41, noted that no new healthcare worker was infected. 40 health care workers have been affected since the onset of the outbreak in seven states of Ebonyi (16), Edo (15), Ondo (four), Kogi (two), Nasarawa (one), Taraba (one) and Abia (one) with ten deaths in Ebonyi (six), Kogi (one), Abia (one), Ondo (one) and Edo (one).

The centre added that 82 per cent of all confirmed cases are from Edo with 46 per cent, Ondo, 23 per cent and Ebonyi, 13 per cent.

It reported that 20 patients are currently being managed at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) Treatment Centre (nine)
and Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo (six).

Others are Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi (one) Federal Teaching Hospital Abakiliki (three) and FMC Umuahia (one).