The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has urged all healthcare workers, particularly those who have direct interactions with patients while providing care, to uphold a high standard of safety precaution to prevent Lassa fever infection.
The agency also urged the health workers to ensure that they always use Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), which is very effective in shielding them from contracting the disease.
It also urged healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion while attending to patients. “Use gloves and other appropriate personal protective equipment while providing care for a patient,” it added.
Lafiya360 reports that according to the Lassa fever epidemiological report by the NCDC, as of December 10, 2023, Nigeria has recorded 8,707 suspected cases, 1,191 confirmed cases, with 206 deaths from 28 states and 116 Local Government Areas (LGAs). The case fatality ratio remains at 17.3 per cent.
The NCDC states, “Lassa fever initially presents like other common illnesses accompanied by a fever, such as malaria. Other symptoms include headache, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, sore throat, and, in severe cases, bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other body openings.
“The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms of the disease is 3 to 21 days. Early diagnosis and treatment of the diseases greatly increase the chances of patient survival.”
The NCDC continues to urge Nigerians to ensure that they practice personal and environmental hygiene, as the disease is prevalent in dirty and unhygienic environments.
According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC), Lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness spread by the common African rat. It is endemic in parts of West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria. Neighboring countries are also at risk because the animal vector lives throughout the region.
The disease starts with fever, general weakness, and malaise. After a few days, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and abdominal pain may follow.
Lassa fever is a rodent-borne zoonosis that clinically manifests as an acute hemorrhagic fever. It is treated using ribavarin. Surviving Lassa fever without receiving the antiviral drug ribavarin is rare.