Lassa fever in Nigeria

September 20, 2022

171 people have died because of Lassa fever in Nigeria despite the government’s measures to reduce the spread of the viral infection across the country.

Key facts

Nigeria currently has the total of 917 confirmed cases of Lassa fever, with 6,660 suspected cases recorded since the start of this year.
With the death toll reaching 171, the case fatality rate is 18.6 per cent. This is lower than that of the same period in 2021, which was 23.3 per cent.
The viral infection is mainly affecting people aging 21 to 30 years, with male-to-female ratio of confirmed cases being 1:0.8.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) is currently distributing medical response commodities across the country to control the spread of the viral infection.

About Lassa fever

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus, which belongs the family Arenaviridae. It was first discovered in Nigeria in 1969. Humans get infected with this pathogen after being exposed to contaminated food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of the infected Mastomys rats. This virus is found among the rodent population in several parts of West Africa. It is endemic in African countries such as Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria. About 80 per cent of people who are infected with Lassa fever are asymptomatic. 1 in 5 cases are severe, with the pathogen infecting several organs like liver, spleen and kidney. The early stage of this infection can be treated using the antiviral drug ribavirin.

Symptoms

Mild symptoms include slight fever, fatigue, weakness and headache. Serious symptoms include bleeding, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, pain in chest, back and abdomen, swelling of face and shock. Death occurs two weeks after the onset of symptoms. It mainly occurs because of multiple organ failure.

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