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Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Momora, has expressed concerns over the rising cases of lassa fever in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Momora revealed that the fatality rate recently hit 19.1 per cent.
He went on to state the latest statistics, which had over 3746 suspected cases across 23 local government areas, and out of this number, 681 were confirmed to have lassa fever, while 132 deaths were recorded in the last four months.
Lassa fever, an acute, viral disease carried by a specie of rat, common in West Africa, can be life-threatening. It can be transmitted to humans through contamination of broken skin or mucous membranes via direct or indirect contact with infected rodent excreta on floors, home surfaces, in food or water. People who hunt and consume infected rats are at risk of being exposed to disease.
Stakeholders, at all levels, have been urged to ensure that citizens have access to portable, safe and clean water, while ensuring that environmental sanitation is enforced to reduce the prevalence of diseases like cholera, Lassa fever, etc.
The federal government has said it will begin the enforcement of consistent environmental sanitation to help curb the increasing prevalence of the contagious viral disease across the country.
