Fear of Fresh Ebola Epidemic As Lassa Fever Death Toll Rises
- Skid
- Jan 6, 2016
- 2 min read
There is fear that the fresh outbreak of another haemorrhagic fever (Lassa fever) in some parts of the country, including Taraba, Nassarawa and Rivers states, may lead to another Ebola epidemic in Nigeria.
Some people have been confirmed killed by the disease in Taraba and Nassarawa states. Two persons were yesterday confirmed killed by Lassa fever in Rivers State.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilus Odagme, who disclosed this to newsmen, said the deaths occurred in the last one week.He explained that the first fatality was between December 30, 2015 and January 1 , 2016 to a mother, and later her two-week old child.
The fear of another Ebola epidemic is predicated on an analysis which shows that an outbreak of haemorrhagic fever in early 2014 in Edo and some other states heralded the Ebola outbreak in Lagos and Port Harcourt in the later part of the year.
Viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses. These are the Ebola and Marburg, Lassa fever, and yellow fever viruses. VHFs have common features: they affect many organs, damage the blood vessels, and affect the body's ability to regulate itself.
Also, a new study published on Tuesday in PLOS suggests that areas of increased poverty are associated with higher rates of Ebola virus transmission. According to the study, since October 2014, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been diminishing and efforts have shifted from emergency response to prevention and mitigation of future outbreaks.
Nigeria had through November 6, 2015, reported 270 Lassa fever cases from 12 states, according to data from health officials. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), two Lassa fever deaths were reported in Kano State last month.
A nationwide outbreak of Lassa fever in 10 states, in March 2014, led to the loss of 20 lives, out of the 319 reported cases. The affected states were Anambra, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau and Taraba.
