The nigeria center for disease control has declared an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria due to an increase in the number of cases reported across the country since the beginning of the year. Persontoperson infections and laboratory transmission can also occur. Lassa fever was first given medical description in the 1950s but the causative viral particle was first identified in 1969 from three missionary nurses who fell ill and died after caring for an infected obstetrical patient in. The country is fighting an outbreak of lassa virus, which is transmitted in rodent feces and urine and. In its severest form, if it is not treated, the disease can lead to death. Growing outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria worries. A growing lassa fever outbreak in nigeria has killed 101 people, as west africa battles to contain a flare up of the virus, according to data from the nations health authorities released saturday. Oct 17, 2018 rats fuelled the largest outbreak of deadly lassa fever in nigeria this year, according to the most extensive and rapid genomic analysis of the lassa virus conducted thus far. Rats fuelled the largest outbreak of deadly lassa fever in nigeria this year, according to the most extensive and rapid genomic analysis of. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in benin, ghana, guinea, liberia, mali, sierra leone, and nigeria, but probably exists in other west african countries as well.
Last week, the nigeria centre for disease control, ncdc, confirmed 16 deaths in. Lassa fever estimated number of deaths lassa fever is caused by a virus that is found in west africa. Lassa fever is reported in benin, cote d ivoire, ghana, guinea, liberia, mali, nigeria, sierra leone and togo. By the same stage of 2017, the country had reported fewer than 200 cases. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in benin, guinea, ghana, liberia, mali, sierra leone and nigeria, but may exist in other west african countries. The two imported cases of lassa fever recently reported from togo. The acute viral haemorrhagic fever is endemic in nigeria but for the current outbreak the hot spots are the southern states of edo, ondo and ebonyi. Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for lassa virus, the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis is distributed throughout the region.
Since november 2015, at least 10 states in nigeria have been affected by an outbreak of lassa fever, an acute viral disease that causes fever, muscle pain, hemorrhage and sometimes death. A historical look at the first reported cases of lassa fever. Benin was last affected by lassa fever over a 4 monthperiod in 20142015 when 16 cases were reported and 9 people died. Wondimagegnehu alemu, who representative to nigeria. Since our last report in week 16 of 2019 week ending 21 april 2019 sporadic cases have continued to be reported across 86 local government. Lassa fever full recovery without ribavarin treatment. Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease that commonly manifests as an acute viral hemorrhagic fever. Low risk perceptions have been reported to prevent appropriate preventive behaviours. Prevention of lassa fever in nigeria transactions of the. Strengthen lassa fever case management and infection prevention and control in health facilities in priority areas, including safe burials 6.
The death toll from the latest round of lassa fever outbreak in nigeria has risen to 144, the nigeria centre for disease control ncdc said thursday with a case fatality rate cfr, of 16. Is an acute and often fatal viral disease, with fever, occurring mainly in west africa. Lassa fever in the eastern province of sierra leone, 19701972. We investigated the knowledge and risk perception of residents towards lf and determined the factors influencing their risk perception in communities that have. Frank is an epidemiologist at the robert koch institute in berlin, germany. General facts viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the arenavirus lassa transmitted from rodents to humans discovered in nigeria, 1969 endemic in portions of west africa seasonal clustering. Travelers to nigeria should avoid contact with rats, especially rat urine and feces, and keep their accommodations or campsites clean. Feb 16, 2018 lassa fever erupts in nigeria a pile of garri, a staple food in nigeria, in a shop in lagos. Lassa fever, nigeria, 2003 and 2004 article pdf available in emerging infectious diseases 1110. Since then, there have been repeated outbreaks in nigeria 2 and other west african countries 3, 4, particularly sierra leone 5 and liberia 6 but also togo 4, and the republic of benin 4. Persontoperson infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in the. It is endemic in west african countries, especially sierra leone, the republic of guinea, nigeria, and liberia, where the annual incidence of infection is between 300,000 and 500,000 cases, resulting in 5,000 deaths per year.
Development of a therapeutic for lassa fever national. Lassa fever clinical course and setting a standard of care for future. Increase in lassa fever cases in nigeria, januarymarch 2018. An outbreak of lassa fever occurred in nigeria during 2018 and spread to 18 of the countrys states.
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. Lassa fever is spread through direct contact with the. Failure of the nigerian health system to prioritise preparedness activities has been detrimental for prompt control of lassa fever, which requires robust laboratory. Nigerian health officials have declared an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria. Mechanistic modelling of the largescale lassa fever. It is endemic in parts of west africa including sierra leone, liberia, guinea and nigeria. Lassa fever lf is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the lassa. Lassa fever lf is an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in west africa.
On february 8, guinea reported the first death from lassa. Jan 30, 2018 lassa fever is on the rampage again in nigeria, but there are simple steps that can be taken to prevent infection. Lassa fever was first given medical description in the 1950s but the causative viral particle was first identified in 1969 from three missionary nurses who fell ill and died after caring for an infected obstetrical patient in the town of lassa, borno state, nigeria, west africa. Introduction to lassa fever world health organization. You cannot get lassa fever through hugging, shaking hands or sitting near someone. Who moves to contain nigerias lassa fever outbreak who. Increase the national capacity to detect and confirm lassa fever infection rapidly 4. Although endemic to the west african nation, lassa fever has never reached this case count in nigeria before.
Lassa fever is a disease that is spread primarily by rats. Panic as luth confirms lassa fever outbreak in lagos the. Download fulltext pdf download fulltext pdf download fulltext pdf lassa fever, nigeria, 20052008 article pdf available in emerging infectious diseases 166. Lassa fever is an animalborne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness. In this article, we report an analysis of the epidemiologic and clinical aspects of the lf outbreak that occurred in nigeria during january 1may 6, 2018. Lassa fever is mainly found in sierra leone, liberia, guinea, and nigeria and is spread by rats. The current lassa fever outbreak in nigeria is the largest recorded outbreak of the virus in the country, with about 1,400 suspected cases and more than 300 cases so far being confirmed in 2018. Lassa fever is a viral, hemorrhagic causes bleeding disease found in tropical regions of africa. Lassa fever a rare viral hemorrhagic fever is a disease of immense public. Lassa fever lf is an epidemicprone zoonotic disease prevalent in nigeria and ebonyi state is a high burden area in nigeria. Edo, ondo and ebonyi states appear to have the majority of the 82 confirmed infections recorded so far. Lassa mammarenavirus is an emerging virus and a select agent, requiring biosafety level 4equivalent containment. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died in nigeria.
Apr 20, 2020 nigerian health officials have declared an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria. Although nigeria is a lassa fever endemic country and has developed capacity for managing lassa fever outbreaks, the current overall risk is considered moderate at national level. The virus is named after the town in nigeria where the first cases occurred. Jul 31, 2017 lassa fever is known to be endemic in benin, ghana, guinea, liberia, mali, sierra leone, and nigeria, but probably exists in other west african countries as well. The disease has caused over 100 deaths in the past three months across several states. Lassa fever erupts in nigeria a pile of garri, a staple food in nigeria, in a shop in lagos. Ilori is the national lassa fever technical working group team lead at the nigeria centre for disease control in abuja, nigeria. It is endemic to west africa, spread by the multimammate rat that abounds in the region and is sometimes eaten as bushmeat.
The nigeria centre for disease control ncdc has declared an outbreak of lassa fever in seven states with 14 deaths confirmed so far in 2020. Nigerias news has pushed ghanas health services to caution healthcare providers about lassa fever, but no cases have appeared there. We are observing an unusually high number of cases for this time of year. Nigerians adopt preventive measures as lassa fever rampages. E and covering an estimated area of 10 000 km 2, with a projected population of one million people by 2002 at 3. It is a viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as ebola. Lassa fever, also known as lassa haemorrhagic fever lhf is a viral infection caused by the lassa virus. The disease is highly contagious and spread like wild fire. Increase the capacity for isolation and treatment of suspected and confirmed cases 5. Lassa fever confirmed cases reported in nigeria per million of inhabitants for each state. Epidemiologic and clinical features of lassa fever outbreak. It was first described in northeastern nigeria in 1969, and it is endemic in west africa 1. Lassa fever lf, one of the severe viral hemorrhagic fevers vhf, was first reported from nigeria in 1969.
Lassa fever, also known as lassa hemorrhagic fever, is a virus that has generated recurrent outbreaks in west africa. Nigeria battles its largest lassa fever outbreak on record nigerias lassa fever outbreak has reached record highs with 317 laboratory confirmed cases, according to figures released by the nigeria centre for disease control ncdc this week. This is so called because at some point in the disease the patient bleeds. Caseload and case fatality of lassa fever in nigeria, 2001. Lassa fever was first documented in nigeria, in lassa village of borno state. Of the cases reported so far in the nigerian outbreak, the mortality rate is 43. Yinkaogunleye a, ipadeola o, saleh m, ilori e, dannwafor c, nwachukwu w, et al. Feb 06, 20 lassa fever lf is an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in west africa. Abstract lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by lassa virus lassa mammarenavirus, a negativesense singlestranded rna virus of the arenaviridae family. The lassa fever outbreak in nigeria is still ongoing.
Late rainy and early dry season affects all age groups and both sexes 3. Observed casefatality rate among patients hospitalized with severe cases of lassa fever is 15%. Knowledge and risk perception towards lassa fever infection. Chart and diagram slides for powerpoint beautifully designed chart and diagram s for powerpoint with visually stunning graphics and animation effects. The world report by talha burki feb 24, p 7281 described an unprecedented astronomical rise in lassa fever cases in nigeria, for which the first case was reported in 1969 and the epidemiology and endemicity are well understood. Failure of the nigerian health system to prioritise preparedness activities has been detrimental for prompt control of lassa fever, which.
Lassa fever in nigeria, benin, togo, germany and usa reliefweb. Lassa fever causes, symptoms, treatment, diagnosis. Symptoms include fever and damage to multiple organs and the circulatory system. The mass media encompasses print and nonprint methods of disseminating information including magazines, newspapers, radio, and television to a large. Nigeria battles its largest lassa fever outbreak on record. We investigated the knowledge and risk perception of residents towards lf and determined the factors influencing their risk perception in communities that have reported confirmed. It was first discovered in 1969 in lassa, nigeria when two missionary nurses died. Lassa fever is a viral illness that occurs in west africa. The lassa virus has its roots in nigeria and it is named after the town in bornu where the first case was identified in 1969. The country is fighting an outbreak of lassa virus, which is transmitted in. The animal reservoir of the lassa fever virus is a rat, mastomys natalensis. Jun 25, 2019 lassa fever lf, one of the severe viral hemorrhagic fevers vhf, was first reported from nigeria in 1969.
We use mechanistic modelling to study the lassa fever epidemics in nigeria from 201619. The nigerian government has released the statement below on the treatment of lassa fever. Our new crystalgraphics chart and diagram slides for powerpoint is a collection of over impressively designed datadriven chart and editable diagram s guaranteed to impress any audience. Emphasis was placed on papers reporting findings from nigeria. As the lancet went to press, the nigeria centre for disease control had reported 615 suspected cases of lassa fever and 57 deaths since the beginning of the year. She coordinates the lassa fever response activities and production of various guidelines for lassa fever control in nigeria. Lassa fever is on the rampage again in nigeria, but there are simple steps that can be taken to prevent infection. Nigerias largest lassa fever outbreak sparked by rats. Jan 01, 2010 lassa fever is common in edo central district of the midwestern region of nigeria, located between latitude 0544. Evidence shows that an outbreak of lassa fever recently occurred in nigeria, involving many states and fatalities. Confirmed lassa fever rate per 100,000 population for lgas in nigeria, cumulative 2020 to current week.
It was first described in northeastern nigeria in 1969, and it. The high number of lassa fever cases is concerning. Nigeria s news has pushed ghanas health services to caution healthcare providers about lassa fever, but no cases have appeared there. Lassa virus was and continues to be the major cause of hemorrhagic fever in western africa, infecting roughly 400,000500,000 individuals per year and yielding a death rate of 30,00040,000. Reports on the disease outbreak indicated that at the commencement of 2012, the nigeria federal ministry of health sent notification of the lassa fever outbreak in nigeria to the world health organization. Lassa fever the guardian nigeria news nigeria and world news. Treatment of lassa fever is free premium times nigeria. National guidelines for lassa fever case management 1 nigeria centre for disease control foreword the large lassa fever outbreak in nigeria between january and may 2018, increased our awareness of the need to have welldetailed and easily accessible guidelines, for response activities. It is transmitted to humans from contacts with food or household items contaminated with rodent excreta.
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