Osagie Ehanire, minister of state for health, has announced an increase in the number of Lassa fever cases reported across the country.
The minister made the disclosure on Tuesday during a news conference in Abuja, saying 41 deaths have been reported in 19 states.
He said, “It is important that Nigerians maintain personal hygiene, environmental hygiene, and food hygiene by storing their food properly to prevent the disease.
“ As of Jan 28, 2020; 258 confirmed cases, 41 deaths have been reported in 19 states with the majority of the cases being from Ebonyi, Edo and Ondo states.
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“Giving the tropical climate in Nigeria, there is a high risk of infectious diseases like Lassa fever because of the vector; this also is the case for other African countries with a similar environment.
“Despite an increase in the number of confirmed cases, the overall case fertility rate for 2020 is 15 percent compared with 2019 which was 20 percent.’’
He added that ”The ministry would continue to support those activities through the deployment of the rapid response team to improve case management. The rapid response team has been deployed so far in five states of Ebonyi, Enugu, Kano, Borno, and Ondo.
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“We have sent medical commodity and personal protective equipment to the states.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) units weekly situation update said, “A total of 689 suspected cases and 258 confirmed cases were reported with 41 deaths. ”
The cases were reported from 19 states comprising Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kano, Borno, Nasarawa, Kogi, Rivers, Abia, Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Delta, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, Osun, and Ogun states.
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