Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced the end of the emergency phase of the 2019 Lassa fever outbreak.
It said the robust response to Lassa fever cases led to significantly declined in the past seven weeks, and has also dropped below levels considered to be a national emergency.
NCDC said their decision was supported by World Health Organisation in Nigeria (WHO Nigeria) and other partners.
The agency said that, despite the end of the emergency phase, it expects that sporadic cases in endemic areas/hotspots.
It promised to coordinate preparedness and response activities through a multi-sectoral Lassa fever Technical Working Group.
Recall that NCDC, had in January, activated a National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to coordinate response activities to an increase in Lassa fever cases.
Since the beginning of 2019 outbreak, 578 confirmed cases including 129 deaths have been recorded from 21 states as at 26th May, 2019.
NCDC Director General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, in a statement released in Abuja, on Friday, confirmed a decline in case fatality rate of Lassa fever, from 27 percent in 2018 to 22 percent in 2019.
He said the agency will continue to improve its knowledge, preparedness, and response to Lassa fever outbreaks.
He said: “Given that Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria, it is likely that more cases would be recorded. However, we have several research strategies to improve our knowledge of the disease,” he said.