Measles, meningitis, Lassa fever kill 156, infect 29,697

Measles has killed 89 persons and infected 28,796 others nationwide since the beginning of this year.

Latest statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday showed that as at May 18, 2019, that is epi week, 19,2029 suspected infections were recorded in the 36 states with two deaths and a Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 0.1 per cent.

According to the centre, Borno, Yobe and Katsina states accounted for 79.7 per cent of the outbreaks, recording 989, 372 and 301 cases during the period

Besides, Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) claimed 65 lives and tainted 891 since January 2019.

The NCDC, in its epi week 18, 2019 report, said 34 new cases were reported in Cross River, Jigawa, Niger, Zamfara and Kebbi with corresponding tallies of 17, five, four, two and one.

It noted that from October 1, 2018 to May 12, 2019, 109 samples tested positive to the scourge.

The centre said Neisseria meningitides serogroup C (NmC) stood for 32.1 per cent – that is 35 positive cases, 65 deaths and a CFR of 7.3 per cent in all suspected cases.

Also yesterday, the NCDC confirmed four new outbreaks of Lassa fever in Edo and one each in Ebonyi and Taraba with no death.

The Kogi government equally said 10 incidents had been recorded alongside two fatalities in the state.

According to the centre, between January 1 and May 12, 2019, a total of 2,426 suspected incidents were reported in 21 states out of which 569 were confirmed positive, 15 probable and 1,842 negative (not a case).

It stated that since the onset of the 2019 season, there had been 128 deaths and a CFR of confirmed cases put at 22.5 per cent.

Ninety-two per cent of all confirmed cases were from Edo, accounting for 36 per cent, Ondo (29 per cent), Ebonyi (eight per cent), Bauchi (seven per cent), Taraba (seven per cent) and Plateau’s six per cent.

The NCDC said the most affected age groups were 21-40 years with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1 for confirmed cases.

Though it submitted that no new health worker was affected in Week 19, it, however, held that 18 of them had been infected since the onset of the outbreak in eight states – Edo with seven cases, Ondo (three), Ebonyi (two) and one each in Enugu, Rivers, Bauchi, Benue, Plateau and Kebbi.

The centre revealed that eight patients were currently being managed at various treatment centres across the federation.

The Kogi Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Haruna, represented by his Special Adviser on Health, Dr. Ahmed Attah, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen yesterday in Lokoja.

He said of the figures, four were positive, adding that three of the reported cases were from Ibaji and one from Ijumu local councils of the state.