Prensa. voanews.com
The World Health
Organization (WHO) reports it is teaming up with national and international
health agencies to tackle what appears to be the largest outbreak of Lassa
fever in Nigeria. The Latest figures show 1,081 suspected cases of the disease,
including 90 deaths.
The WHO reports
317 of more than 1,000 suspected cases of Lassa fever have been confirmed
during the past eight weeks. It says the number is more than the 305 cases
reported all of last year, making this the biggest Lassa fever outbreak to
date.
While the
disease is present in 17 Nigerian states, the WHO reports it is largely
concentrated in the three southern states of Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi. Lassa fever
is endemic in Nigeria, as it is in a number of West African States. WHO
spokesman Tarek Jasarevic says investigations have been undertaken to find out
why this year’s outbreak is so extensive.
“[The] WHO is
helping to coordinate health actors and is joining rapid risk assessment teams
traveling to hot spots to investigate the outbreak. [The] WHO is supporting the
Lassa fever Emergency Operations Center that is led by the Nigeria Center for
Disease Control to revise the Lassa fever incident Action Plan, and to
strengthen surveillance, infection prevention control and treatment, as well as
better coordination and conducting Lassa fever research and development,”
Jasarevic said.
Lassa fever is
an acute viral hemorrhagic illness that occurs in West Africa. The virus is
transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated
with rodent urine or feces. Jasarevic told VOA the virus also can be spread
between humans.
“Once a person
is infected, it can infect other people just like Ebola was through the body
fluid. So, mainly that would be the health care workers who are not properly
trained and who are not properly equipped who may then get infected inside the
health care facilities,” Jasarevic said.
The incubation
period of Lassa fever ranges from six to 21 days. The WHO says the best way to
prevent the disease is by promoting good community hygiene to discourage
rodents that spread the disease from entering homes. Besides storing grain and
other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers, the WHO suggests keeping cats in
the home