Lassa fever 2016 outbreak in plateau state, nigeriathe. Lassa fever is endemic in parts of west africa including sierra leone, liberia, guinea and nigeria. Lassa fever is a viral illness that occurs in west africa. Abuja, nigeria, 28 february 2018 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.
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. Failure of the nigerian health system to prioritise preparedness activities has been detrimental for prompt control of lassa fever, which requires robust laboratory. Lassa fever clinical course and setting a standard of care. The virus is named after the town in nigeria where the first cases occurred. It has also been reported in europe and north america. A historical look at the first reported cases of lassa fever. Lassa fever was first documented in nigeria, in lassa village of borno state. The disease has caused over 100 deaths in the past three months across several states.
The disease is highly contagious and spread like wild fire. Request pdf prevention of lassa fever in nigeria although specific treatment is available for lassa fever, early diagnosis is still difficult in most nigerian. The virus is excreted in urine for 3 9 weeks after infection and in semen for 3 months. Increase the national capacity to detect and confirm lassa fever infection rapidly 4. Tracking lassa fever across three countries blogs cdc. Lassa fever lf is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the lassa virus lasv and endemic in.
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. Containing current lassa fever outbreaks in nigeria the. Lassa fever causes, symptoms, treatment, diagnosis. Molecular diagnostics for lassa fever at irrua specialist teaching hospital, nigeria. Lassa fever, nigeria, 20052008 volume 16, number 6june. Apr 29, 2019 nigeria had an ongoing lassa fever outbreak that had peaked in october 2017. 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. The illness was discovered in lassa, borno state where it was first reported. Humans contract lassa virus lasv primarily through contact with contaminated excreta of the rodent. As part of efforts to contain an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria that has infected up to 450 people in 17 states within five weeks, the world health organisation who, on tuesday, announced it. The first human cases of lassa fever lf were described in 1970 in the northeast of nigeria. Ilori is the national lassa fever technical working group team lead at the nigeria centre for disease control in abuja, nigeria. It can be transmitted to humans through direct or indirect exposure to rodent excreta, including droplets, dust and contaminated food.
An outbreak of lassa fever occurred in nigeria during 2018 and spread to 18 of the countrys states. Volume 16, number 6june 2010 letter lassa fever, nigeria, 20052008. It is endemic in west african countries, especially sierra leone, the republic of guinea, nigeria, and liberia, where the annual. Confirmed lassa fever cases by states in nigeria, week 01 19, 2020. Distribution of confirmed and probable lassa fever cases in nigeria as at august 2017. Apr 28, 2018 we evaluated the impact of manmade conflict events and climate change impact in guiding evidencebased community one health epidemiology and emergency response practice against reemerging epidemics. Feb 16, 2018 lassa fever erupts in nigeria a pile of garri, a staple food in nigeria, in a shop in lagos.
The world health organisation who says that with declining numbers and only a handful of confirmed cases reported in recent weeks, the. Thirty four patients with clinical diagnosis of lf were analyzed. Confirmed lassa fever rate per 100,000 population for lgas in nigeria, week 01 19, 2020 table 2. The two imported cases of lassa fever recently reported from togo.
Lf is endemic in nigeria, liberia, sierra leone, benin, ghana, guinea and mali 1. It is endemic in parts of west africa including sierra leone, liberia, guinea and nigeria. Pdf epidemiological trends of lassa fever outbreaks and. Low risk perceptions have been reported to prevent appropriate preventive behaviours. Lassa fever is spread through direct contact with the. The country is fighting an outbreak of lassa virus, which is transmitted in rodent feces and urine and. Lassa fever lf outbreaks in nigeria mostly occur in rural areas and during the dry season, peaking between december through february. Confirmed and probable cases of lassa fever by epidemiological week in nigeria december 2016 to august 2017.
Lassa fever is endemic in west africa and has been reported from sierra leone, guinea, liberia, and nigeria. Key indicators for current week 2020 and trend compared to previous week, nigeria. Lassa fever in nigeria watch level 1, practice usual. Sequel to the successful containment of ebola outbreak by the nigerian government in 2014 and the wider appraisal by the international. Mastomys natalensis, a multimammate, peridomestic rat is the reservoir. Studies reported in english, that investigated lassa fever with reference to west africa were. Some studies indicate that 300,000 to 500,000 cases of lassa fever and 5000 deaths occur yearly across west africa. Lesson learned from the investigation and response of lassa fever. Lassa fever lf is increasingly recognised as an important rodentborne viral haemorrhagic fever presenting a severe public health threat to subsaharan west africa. Panic as luth confirms lassa fever outbreak in lagos the. Of the cases reported so far in the nigerian outbreak, the mortality rate is 43. Lassa fevers mildness, and its long incubation time of one to three weeks, also means that it travels easily. Nigeria battles its largest lassa fever outbreak on record.
Knowledge and risk perception towards lassa fever infection. Nigeria lassa fever 2 crisis impact a suspected outbreak of lassa viral hemorrhagic fever was announced on 8 january afp 12016. May 26, 2015 amorosa v, macneil a, mcconnell r, et al. 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. Thats compared with 733 cases and 71 deaths in all of 2017. Lassa fever has claimed 110 lives in nigeria since the beginning of the year one of the worst outbreaks since 2016. On 14 january, nigerias centre for disease control reported at least 140 suspected cases, of. Lagos, nigeria cnn at least 43 people have died and 450 people are ill in a lassa fever outbreak in nigeria, according to the world health organization. Is an acute and often fatal viral disease, with fever, occurring mainly in west africa. Lassa fever is an animalborne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness. Travelers to nigeria should avoid contact with rats, especially rat urine and feces, and keep their accommodations or campsites clean. Apr 29, 2019 tracking lassa fever across three countries. Lassa fever outbreak hits nigeria infectioncontrol. Wondimagegnehu alemu, who representative to nigeria.
Lassa fever is a disease that is spread primarily by rats. From the onset of the outbreak, who nigeria deployed staff from the national and state levels to support the government of nigerias national lassa fever emergency operations. Lassa fever is reported in benin, cote divoire, ghana, guinea, liberia, mali, nigeria, sierra leone and togo. Apr 20, 2020 nigerian health officials have declared an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria. Nigeria tries to contain deadly lassa fever outbreak youtube.
Lassa fever in nigeria, benin, togo, germany and usa reliefweb. Increase in lassa fever cases in nigeria, januarymarch 2018. Confirmed lassa fever rate per 100,000 population for lgas in nigeria. Promed reported on february 2016 that nigeria has recorded 176 cases with 108 deaths a case fatality rate of 61 percent. Lassa fever is endemic in many west african countries and shares some characteristics with ebola. Feb 06, 20 lassa fever lf is an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in west africa. 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. Lassa fever outbreak leaves 43 dead in nigeria cnn. Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic illness, is endemic in most of west africa, especially nigeria, where it was discovered in 1969. Feb 16, 2018 lagos, nigeria cnn at least 43 people have died and 450 people are ill in a lassa fever outbreak in nigeria, according to the world health organization.
Lassa fever lf is an epidemicprone zoonotic disease prevalent in nigeria and ebonyi state is a high burden area in nigeria. Lassa virus was first isolated in 1974 from its zoonotic reservoir, the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis. Frank is an epidemiologist at the robert koch institute in berlin, germany. Lassa fever is an acute illness caused by a negativestrand of rna ribonucleic acid virus in the family arenaviridae. 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. Lassa fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic fever, extremely virulent and often infectious, occurs very frequently in different parts of nigeria 14 and affects approximately 100,000500,000 persons per year in west africa 5, 6. 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. The disease was first described in the 1950s, and the virus was identified in 1969 after 2 missionary nurses died from the disease in the nigerian. Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in west africa. Symptoms can be mild or severe, including hemorrhaging in. Who moves to contain nigerias lassa fever outbreak. We are observing an unusually high number of cases for this time of year. Lassa mammarenavirus is an emerging virus and a select agent, requiring biosafety level 4equivalent containment. Nigerian health officials have declared an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria.
Lassa fever lf is an epidemicprone zoonotic viral haemorrhagic disease caused by lassa fever virus lfv, a member of the arenaviridae family 1. However, only 11 32% lasv infections were confirmed by rtpcr. On 14 january, nigerias centre for disease control reported at least 140 suspected cases, of which 30 were laboratory confirmed. In its severest form, if it is not treated, the disease can lead to death. Who moves to contain nigerias lassa fever outbreak nigeria. Increasing evidence of emerging and reemerging zoonotic diseases including recent lassa fever outbreaks in almost 20 states in nigeria led to 101 deaths and 175 suspected and. Benin was last affected by lassa fever over a 4 monthperiod in 20142015 when 16. Benin was last affected by lassa fever over a 4 monthperiod in 20142015 when 16 cases were reported and 9 people died. 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. Progress and challenges of lassa fever control in nigeria the lancet. Adekunle olatayo adeoti1, onyekachi ojiaku2 and louise sigfrid3 1department of medicine, ekiti state university teaching hospital, ado ekiti, nigeria 2department of medicine, ekiti state university teaching hospital, ado ekiti, nigeria 3clinical research fellow and public health specialist, university of oxford, united kingdom. Here we will discus the history of lassa fever in nigeria, recent outbreaks, symptoms, states affected, causes, treatment options, prevention and control. Treatment of lassa fever is free premium times nigeria. 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.
Lassa fever erupts in nigeria a pile of garri, a staple food in nigeria, in a shop in lagos. 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. Pdf knowledge, attitude and infection prevention and. This is so called because at some point in the disease the patient bleeds. Lassa mammarenavirus lasv is an arenavirus that causes lassa hemorrhagic fever, a type of viral hemorrhagic fever vhf, in humans and other primates. Although endemic to the west african nation, lassa fever has never reached this case count in nigeria before. Increase the capacity for isolation and treatment of suspected and confirmed cases 5. Who is scaling up its response to an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria, which has spread to 18 states and may have infected more than.
The high number of lassa fever cases is concerning. When a beninese migrant worker fell ill in nigeria in december 2017, he decided to return to his parents home in togo for care. Of the total, 78 cases have been confirmed, amongst which 49 have died 63%. 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.
A recordhigh lassa fever outbreak strikes nigeria the. About 10 days after the man died, benin declared a lassa fever outbreak with 21 cases, including four deaths. The disease was first recognized in nigeria in 1969. A historical look at the first reported cases of lassa. The lassa virus is carried by the multimammate rat. Growing outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria worries. Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for lassa virus, the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis is distributed throughout the region. As of february 18, the nigeria centre for disease control ncdc reports 9 cases of lassa fever and 73 deaths. May 11, 2018 the world health organisation who says that with declining numbers and only a handful of confirmed cases reported in recent weeks, the critical phase of nigerias largest lassa fever outbreak. It was first described in northeastern nigeria in 1969, and it is endemic in west africa 1. Nigeria had an ongoing lassa fever outbreak that had peaked in october 2017. The nigerian government has released the statement below on the treatment of lassa fever.
We evaluated the impact of manmade conflict events and climate change impact in guiding evidencebased community one health epidemiology and emergency response practice against reemerging epidemics. The animal reservoir of the lassa fever virus is a rat, mastomys natalensis. Lassa fever outbreak update, 24 january 2018 nigeria. Who moves to contain nigerias lassa fever outbreak who. Fever is a cardinal presenting feature among the myriad manifestations of lf. She coordinates the lassa fever response activities and production of various guidelines for lassa fever control in nigeria. Regarding lassa fever among healthcare w orkers in edo state, nigeria different cadres of health care workers were found to be statistically significant x 2 6. His condition deteriorated during his trip through benin. In this post, we will look at lassa fever in nigeria. Lassa fever lf is an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in west africa.
Lassa fever full recovery without ribavarin treatment. A growing lassa fever outbreak in nigeria has killed 101 people, as west africa battles to contain a flareup of the virus, according to data from the nations health authorities released saturday. People feel bad for a few days, not horrible, so theyre more likely to get on. Nigeria lassa fever outbreak need for international assistance not required low moderate significant major x very low low moderate significant major expected impact x crisis overview a suspected outbreak of lassa viral hemorrhagic fever was announced in nigeria on 8 january afp 12016. In 201718, lf caused an unprecedented epidemic in nigeria and the situation was worsening in 201819. Lf is endemic in nigeria, liberia, sierra leone, benin, ghana, guinea and mali. Prevention of lassa fever in nigeria request pdf researchgate. 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. Increasing evidence of emerging and reemerging zoonotic diseases including recent lassa fever outbreaks in almost 20 states in nigeria led to 101 deaths and 175 suspected and confirmed. Strengthen lassa fever case management and infection prevention and control in health facilities in priority areas, including safe burials 6. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died in nigeria. Introduction to lassa fever world health organization. One wonders why borno state is usually home to a lot of things.
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