Nigeria: NCDC records 37 cases of Lassa Fever, 69 deaths in outbreak

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has declared that 37 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever have been reported in nine states with 10 new deaths in four states.

According to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the states are Edo 10, Ondo 12, Ebonyi 4, Plateau 4, Taraba 3, Benue 1, Gombe 1, Rivers 1, and Kebbi 1. NCDC stated that 10 new deaths were recorded in Edo 2, Ondo 2, Ebonyi 4 and Plateau 2, All Africa reported.

Nigerian authorities have reported that 69 people had been killed so far in the latest outbreak of Lassa fever in the country. The figure represents about 21.3 percent of the fatality rate since the onset of the outbreak last month. The outbreak has also been recorded in Nigeria's capital Abuja.

So far, 12 healthcare workers have been affected by the outbreak and one of them was killed by the disease. In 2018, the NCDC reported at least 143 Lassa fever deaths across the country. The fever was reported in 22 states and 90 local government areas last year.

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