Lassa fever was first discovered 1969, in the north-eastern part of Nigeria a village called Lassa, in Brono state, after two missionary nurses who were sent to the community died of the acute viral disease.
The disease has since spread to some west African states including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease, meaning that humans become infected from contact with infected animals. The animal reservoir, or host, of Lassa virus is a rodent of the genus Mastomys, commonly known as the “multimammate rat.” Mastomys rats infected with Lassa virus do not become ill, but they can shed the virus in their urine and faeces.
With an incubation period of between 6-21 days, common symptoms of this disease is quiet similar with that of malaria. They include fever, general weakness, and malaise, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, and abdominal pain may follow.
In severe cases facial swelling, fluid in the lung cavity, bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure may develop. Protein may be noted in the urine. Shock, seizures, tremor, disorientation, and coma may be seen in the later stages. Deafness occurs in 25% of patients who survive the disease. In half of these cases, hearing returns partially after 1-3 months. Transient hair loss and gait disturbance may occur during recovery.
Death usually occurs within 14 days of onset in fatal cases. The disease is especially severe late in pregnancy, with maternal death or fetal loss occurring in greater than 80% of cases during the third trimester.
Transmission of the Lassa virus has been linked to exposure to the urine and faeces of infected rodents. Human to human transmission occur through direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces, or other bodily secretions of a person infected with Lassa fever. It is however worthy to note that the disease could affect humans of all age groups.
Although the disease has witnessed a sudden decline since 2012, the federal ministry of health reported an outbreak of the disease in November 2015, in Bauchi and Kano state.
On Tuesday, January 12, at a joint press briefing organised with the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, the minister of health, Isaac Adewole, stated that the death toll from the disease had reached 41.
Adewole noted that the disease has spread to ten states of Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Plateau, Gombe, Rivers, Edo and Oyo.
He said: “As of today (Tuesday), records from our surveillance show that the number of suspected cases is 93, the number of laboratory confirmed cases is 25 and the number of reported deaths is 41, with a case fatality of 44 per cent.
“We will like to state that given the high index of suspicion, the increasing number of suspected cases may not be out of place, as health practitioners are more likely to include Lassa fever as a differential diagnosis in their health care facilities.
On Wednesday, The minister however debunked rumors in some quotas which has linked the disease to some “spiritual conditions.”
He advised early diagnosis and treatment with the antiviral drug ribavirin, as the means of curbing further spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, a medical doctor, Itua Eromonsele has adviced Nigerians on the need to maintain a clean environment, ensure proper food preservation and avoidance of bush burning as some of the preventive measures towards reducing the spread of the disease.
In a related development, the Senate has extended invitation to the minister of health, Professor Isaac Adewole, to brief it over the current outbreak of Lassa fever in 10 states in the country.
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