According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the lowest number of cases in a single week since the beginning of the outbreak was recorded this month.”Only five new confirmed cases of Lassa fever were reported in the week that ended on the 15th of April 2018,” the NCDC said in its situation report released Thursday.The report stated that it is also the eighth week of continuous decline in new confirmed cases, showing that the efforts to control the outbreak are bearing fruit.
This year’s epidemic is Nigeria’s largest on record, with confirmed cases in January and February alone exceeding the total number reported in the whole of 2017.The rate at which the disease was spreading became worrisome to the government, health workers and citizens, prompting a joint effort from the World Health Organisation, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and the NCDC to stem the tide.The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, expressed delight at the report of the decline but warned that the epidemic is far from contained.”I am happy with the reduction in the number of cases, thanks to the efforts that we have all devoted to this. However, now is not a time to rest on our oars. We will continue to intensify efforts to prevent, detect and respond to Lassa fever and ensure that Nigeria plays a leading role in the global efforts to tackle this disease”, the minister was quoted as saying in the report.”
This year’s epidemic is Nigeria’s largest on record, with confirmed cases in January and February alone exceeding the total number reported in the whole of 2017.The rate at which the disease was spreading became worrisome to the government, health workers and citizens, prompting a joint effort from the World Health Organisation, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and the NCDC to stem the tide.The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, expressed delight at the report of the decline but warned that the epidemic is far from contained.”I am happy with the reduction in the number of cases, thanks to the efforts that we have all devoted to this. However, now is not a time to rest on our oars. We will continue to intensify efforts to prevent, detect and respond to Lassa fever and ensure that Nigeria plays a leading role in the global efforts to tackle this disease”, the minister was quoted as saying in the report.”
