Lassa Fever in Nigeria: Death toll rises to 101

The hemorrhagic Lassa fever virus has left more than 100 Nigerians dead since it staged a return in August last year,the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced.

The NCDC says the toll of confirmed and suspected cases of Lassa currently stood at 175 with a total of 101 deaths since August.

“As at today, 19 (including Abuja) states are currently following up contacts or have suspected cases with laboratory results pending or laboratory confirmed cases,” said the disease control center.

There are fears that in spite of the federal government’s posturing that the disease has been brought under control and will be exterminated in April, the actual scale of the epidemic has been under-reported.

To contain the virus, NCDC said officials have distributed large quantities of drugs, including Ribavirin tablets and bottles of hand sanitizers across the country.

The agency however reported that logistics support and delayed reporting of cases by states are hampering progress.

The outbreak was only announced in January — months after the first case occurred in August — with subsequent deaths reported in 10 states, including Abuja.