The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has said no fewer than 8,542 suspected cases, 1,170 confirmed cases, and 200 deaths have been recorded from Lassa fever in Nigeria this year as of December 3, 2023.
The confirmed cases were recorded from 28 states and 114 Local Government Areas in the country.
The NCDC Director General, Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed this in a statement posted on the agency’s website on Saturday.
Adetifa stated that the country has continued to record a steady increase in states reporting Lassa fever for reasons not limited to improved surveillance, better community awareness, environmental degradation from climate change and other deleterious human activities in the environment.
“In 2021, 510 confirmed cases were reported across 17 states and 68 LGAs. Whereas in 2022, Nigeria reported 1067 confirmed cases across 27 States and 112 LGAs. In 2023 alone, 28 states and 114 LGAs have reported confirmed cases of Lassa fever…