By News Desk  @bactiman63

After reporting a record year of Lassa fever in Nigeria last year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported nine confirmed Lassa fever cases, including 2 deaths in Bauchi state among the confirmed cases.

Four states (Bauchi, Ebonyi, Edo and Ondo) have recorded at least one confirmed case across six Local Government Areas.

In 2020, Nigeria saw a record 1189 confirmed cases and 244 deaths in confirmed cases with a CFR of more than 20 percent.

Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. It is transmitted to humans from contacts with food or household items contaminated with rodent excreta. The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa.

Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in the hospital environment in the absence of adequate infection control measures. Diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential.