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From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A medical doctor, Samuel Nyityo, has reportedly died and two others hospitalised following fresh outbreak of Lassa fever in Makurdi, Benue State.
Nyityo, staff of the World Health Organisation (WHO), is said to have taken ill and was referred to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State where he died. A hospital staff told newsmen, yesterday, that three persons also lost their lives to the disease.
“Lassa fever is in Benue now. We lost a colleague, Dr Samuel Nyityo, today. I lost two patients last week. One ate rat and took ill. I am currently taking prophylaxis (ribavirin) and isolating because I nursed two out of the three people who died,” the source said.
Commissioner for Health and Human Services in Benue State, Dr. Joseph Ngbea, confirmed the outbreak of Lassa fever but denied that three persons died from the disease.
He said only one person died and another, who was infected was being treated.
He said the state government was doing its best to contain the disease and that Governor Samuel Ortom, through the ministry, had released money to ensure it was contained.
Ngbea warned the general public to desist from keeping their food stuffs outside and to do away with everything that would attract rats to their homes.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed that Lassa fever was responsible for 102 deaths in 2021, with Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 20.0 per cent.
It said the 2021 case fatality rate was lower than that for the same period in 2020 (20.7 per cent).
NCDC in an epidemiological report released in Abuja, yesterday, indicated that 17 states recorded at least one confirmed case across 68 local government areas.
“Edo State accounted for 42 per cent of the confirmed cases (84 per cent). Ondo state was responsible for 34 per cent, while Bauchi State accounted for eight per cent. The predominant age-group affected was 21-30 years, while male to female ratio for confirmed cases was 1:0.9.”
NCDC, in the report, confirmed that the number of suspected cases decreased when compared to cases reported for the same period in 2020.
It also confirmed that no new health care worker was affected in the reporting week 52, and the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group(TWG) have continued to coordinate the response activities at all levels.
In 2020, NCDC said that 6, 732 suspected cases of Lassa fever was reported, 1, 181 cases was confirmed and 244 death recorded across 131 local government areas of 27 states.
