Lassa fever is an acute, infectious, often fatal illness characterized by high fever,
muscle pain, headaches, bleeding and death in severe cases. It is a viral disease caused by Lassa fever virus with an incubation of 6-21 days.
Lassa fever is Zoonotic in nature as it affects both humans and animals alike. The link to humans is the African soft-furred rat. This animal usually gets on to leftover food or food left to air dry in the open. While feeding on these, the rodents
may urinate and/or defecate and pass the virus on-to humans who eat the contaminated food.
In the past 47 years, Lassa fever has threatened Nigeria at different times and in the last six weeks, there has been an outbreak of the disease in Nigeria. This outbreak started in November 2015. The first reported case occurred in Bauchi and it thereafter spread to Kano, and subsequently six other states; namely Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Rivers, Edo, and Oyo.
This was confirmed in a report on 6th January, 2016 in Abuja, the country’s capital by Nigeria’s minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole. In his speech, he stated that “The total numbers of suspected cases so far reported is 76 with 35 deaths, and a Case Fatality Rate [CFR]of 46 per cent. Our laboratories have confirmed 14 cases, indicative of a new episode of Lassa fever outbreak.”
According to the minister of health, the following measures have been put in place to curb the spread of the disease and to investigate and trace the reported cases:
Immediate Release of Adequate quantities of ribavirin. The specific antiviral drug for Lassa fever to all the affected states for prompt and adequate treatment of cases.
Sensitization, and mobilization of healthcare workers in the affected areas and the deployment of rapid response teams.
For now, most of these are already been implemented and the battle against Lassa fever is still on.
Written by: Ozioma Paul
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