- Death toll from Lassa fever in Ebonyi state, Nigeria, rises from 10 to 14 since the start of the year.
- Outbreak includes 29 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, with 110 suspected cases reported in Ebonyi.
- Disease spread through contact with rodent urine or feces; cases attributed to contact with saliva, urine, or excreta of rats.
- Urgent collaborative efforts initiated by government and partners to contain spread of disease.
- At least 25 people, including two healthcare workers, infected between Jan. 4 and Feb. 16.
NEW TIMES
The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria’s southern state of Ebonyi has risen from 10 to 14 since the beginning of the year, public health authorities said on Wednesday.
The 14 deaths were among 29 cases confirmed so far from the outbreak of the viral hemorrhagic fever recorded as of Tuesday, Hyacinth Ebenyi, the director of public health in Ebonyi, told reporters in the state capital of Abakaliki.
At least 110 suspected cases of the disease have been recorded in Ebonyi since the beginning of the year, Ebenyi said, noting that “there has been an increase in the cases of Lassa fever, and it is endemic in the state.”
