Lassa fever claims three lives in Nigeria's Rivers State

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- At least three people lost their lives in the outbreak of Lassa Fever in southeast Nigeria’s Rivers State, 200 others are currently under observation, following the , an official said on Saturday.

State Commissioner for Health Theophilus Odagme told reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital that up to 50 people who had contacts with the first reported two cases could be out of observation because they had not shown symptoms of the disease.

Odagme said the medical doctor, who died after contracting the disease, had been buried after consultations with the family.

He said the doctor died at a hospital outside Port Harcourt and that contacts he had hours before his death were among those under observation.

According to the commissioner, government has set up a special center to manage new cases of the disease, noting that no new case has been reported.

Odagme told reporters that the government was working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Federal Ministry of Health to tackle the disease.

He advised people with symptoms of the disease to report to the nearest health center for test and treatment.

Meanwhile, the government of the southwestern state of Ogun said it had set up three isolation centers, in a bid to contain any case of outbreak of Lassa fever.

The Commissioner for Health of Ogun, Babatunde Ipaye, made this known to journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital.

He said the measure was a proactive step to combat any outbreak of the virus in the state and appealed to residents to maintain good hygiene.

The commissioner said government had mounted surveillance since the outbreak of the virus in Bauchi, in November 2015, adding that no case had been recorded in Ogun till date. 

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Death toll from Nigeria Lassa fever outbreak rises to 45

ABUJA, (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an outbreak of Lassa fever spreading in 10 states across Nigeria has risen to 45, local officials say.

Two people were confirmed dead late Thursday in the southwestern state of Ondo, where 31 others have been quarantined following the development, says the Ministry of Health.

A doctor who treated patients of Lassa fever at a hospital in Rivers state died from the virus, said Furo Green, the chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association in Rivers.

Nigeria’s capital Abuja recorded its first death from the virus this week.

Lassa fever is an acute and often fatal viral disease, occurring mainly in West Africa. It is usually transmitted by contact with the saliva or excreta of rats accessing homes and food stores.

It was first described in 1969 in the town of Lassa in Nigeria. In some cases, Lassa fever has similar symptoms with malaria.

The latest outbreak is said to be the worst of the virus in Nigeria in the past four years. It erupted November last year and the first reported case was in the northeastern state of Bauchi.

Nigerian authorities say they are capable of putting the outbreak under control, noting there is a high survival rate for those diagnosed early.

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control has started response efforts in all affected states, officials say.

In 2012, Lassa fever killed more than 40 in 12 states across Nigeria.

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41 killed in Nigeria Lassa fever outbreak

ABUJA, (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria has killed 41 people out of 93 reported cases, Health Minister Isaac Adewole said Tuesday.

Adewole however said the spread of the disease had not gone beyond 10 states of the country, denying reports it had spread to 12 states.

It is said to be the worst outbreak of the virus in Nigeria in the past four years.

Nigeria has informed the World Health Organization of the development and the government is taking measures to curtail further spread of the disease in rural areas, Adewole said, adding no new cases were reported in the last 72 hours.

The outbreak erupted last month and the first reported case was in the northeastern state of Bauchi.

The latest outbreak was “unusual” because the authorities were not quickly informed, Adewole said.

Lassa fever is an acute and often fatal viral disease, occurring mainly in West Africa. It is usually transmitted by contact with the saliva or excreta of rats accessing homes and food stores.

It is first described in 1969 in the town of Lassa in Nigeria. In some cases, Lassa fever has similar symptoms with malaria.

Nigerian authorities have said they are capable of putting the outbreak under control, noting there is a high survival rate for those diagnosed early.

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control has started coordinating response activities in all affected states, official say.

In 2012, Lassa fever killed more than 40 in 12 states across Nigeria, after which the government set up a Lassa Fever Rapid Response Committee for the prevention and control of the disease. 

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Death toll in Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak rises to 40  

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government has confirmed the death of 40 people out of 86 reported cases of Lassa fever outbreak in the country.

Minister of Health Isaac Adewole told a news conference late on Friday that the casualties were recorded in 10 states of the federation.

Adewole advised communities to improve on their hygiene, including food hygiene and food protection practices.

He also urged the public to avoid contact with rodents and rats as well as food contaminated with rat’s secretions and excretions.

The minister said affected states have been advised to intensify awareness on the signs and symptoms of the disease.

According to him, the affected states are Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo.

He said the ministry had ordered for the immediate release of adequate quantities of ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for Lassa fever, to the affected states for prompt treatment of cases.

Adewole added that the ministry deployed rapid response teams to all affected states to assist in investigating and verifying the cases as well as tracing of contacts.

He said also clinicians and relevant health care workers had been sensitized and mobilized in areas of patient management and care in the affected states.

Besides, he advised family members and health care workers to always be careful and avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons infected by the disease.

He also directed health facilities in the country to emphasize routine infection prevention and control measures and ensure that all Lassa fever patients are treated free.

Adewole said Nigeria has the capability to diagnose Lassa fever, adding that all the cases reported so far were confirmed by our laboratories.

The first case of the current outbreak was reported from Bauchi in November 2015. In 2012, Lassa fever claimed more than 40 lives in 12 states across Nigeria.

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Lassa fever claims 35 lives in Nigeria: official

ABUJA, (Xinhua) -- A total of 35 people have so far been killed in the latest outbreak of Lassa fever in parts of Nigeria, a figure indicating an almost 46 percent fatality rate among 76 suspected cases, a senior official said Thursday.

Minister of health Isaac Adewole told reporters in Abuja that 14 cases have been confirmed by laboratories as the disease spreads across eight states in the West African country - including Bauchi, Edo, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Rivers and Taraba.

The World Health Organization has been duly notified of the cases confirmed, he said, adding in response to the outbreak, the government is taking necessary measures to reduce mortality among those affected, as well as curtail further spread of the disease.

Lassa fever, a disease carried by rodents, is usually transmitted when the saliva, urine and excreta of the multi-mammalian rats come in contact with humans through their food or water. In some cases, Lassa fever has similar symptoms with malaria.

The latest outbreak in Nigeria has been spreading for more than six weeks since its first case was recorded in the northeastern state of Bauchi.

Nigerian authorities said there was capability of putting the outbreak under control, noting there was a high possibility of treatment and survival for early diagnosis. The Nigeria Center for Disease Control has already started coordinating response activities in all the affected states, the health minister said.

In 2012, Lassa fever claimed more than 40 lives in 12 states across Nigeria. For this reason, the Nigerian government set up a Lassa Fever Rapid Response Committee to investigate, prevent and control outbreaks of the disease.