The Nigerian government has sent a warning that Lassa fever might increase soon. This warning came from Dr. Jide Idris, the head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
Dr. Idris explained that while fewer people are getting other diseases right now, Lassa fever often comes back every year at this time.
“Because Lassa fever happens at certain times of the year, we think more people will get it in the next few months,” he said. “So, we are getting ready now to handle more cases when they come.”
He shared some numbers to help everyone understand. The country had almost 8,000 people who they thought had Lassa fever. Out of these, about 1,000 were confirmed to have it, and sadly, 168 people died. This means that around 17 out of 100 people with the disease died from it.
Dr. Idris also had some good news. The number of new cases of other diseases like yellow fever, diphtheria, and cholera is going down. For example, in September, there were 1,728 suspected yellow fever cases, but only 43 were positive.
He mentioned that 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had been affected by these diseases, and 496 Local Government Areas had reported cases.
At the same conference, experts talked about diphtheria. This is a serious disease that affects the throat and nose and spreads very easily. If not treated, it can cause big problems.
In 2024, Nigeria reported over 12,000 suspected cases of diphtheria across 21 states and 170 Local Government Areas. According to the NCDC, out of these suspected cases, over 7,700 were confirmed.
They further explained that during one specific week, there were 20 suspected cases of diphtheria reported. Out of these, 12 were confirmed in three states and nine Local Government Areas.