(News 24) – The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria since the beginning of January has risen to 41 as cases were confirmed in more regions, Nigeria’s disease control agency said. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday said that from January 1 to January 26 a total of 258 confirmed cases, including five health workers, were reported across 19 states.
The latest figures marked an increase from 29 deaths and 195 confirmed cases given by the authorities for the period up to January 24. Nigeria declared an outbreak of Lassa fever a year ago and around 170 people died from the virus in 2019. The number of cases usually climbs in January due to weather conditions during the dry season. The NCDC said that the fatality rate was down to 15.9% from 19.7% during the same period last year. READ MORE
