Lassa fever has killed not more than 188 citizens of Nigeria during the Coronavirus pandemic. According to health experts the disease has wreaked havoc since its discovery in the country 51 years ago.
These disease deserves more attention as 963 cases in 27 states as health officials have openly called the attention of the public to end the Lassa fever, they emphasis that it is equally a deadly disease that has taken a toll on the citizens and medical practitioners over the years.
According to statistics, from January 2020 to the first week of April, 963 people have fallen ill with Lassa fever across 27 States of the country. There was confirmed 56 deaths cases of Lasser fever last week Febuary during the first case of Coronavirus recorded in Nigeria.
On Tuesday, April 14th 2020, Nigeria has recorded 373 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11 deaths recorded. The cases of COVID-19 is below the number of people infected or killed by Lassa fever within the same period.
The breakdown showed within the period of the pandemic out of the 963 Lassa fever infections, the mortality rate is 19.52%. Out of the 373 cases of the novel coronavirus recorded, the mortality is 2.95%.
Lassa fever accounted for 94.5% for the total deaths while that of Coronavirus was accounted for 5.5% of the total deaths. Out of the total 199 mortalities confirmed from both Lassa fever and COVID-19 with the short time.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) revealed that 985 people which were receiving treatment at various hospitals for Lassa fever, saying 37 health workers have also been affected by the disease this year 2020.
Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), announced that 6-medical doctors have lost their lives to Lassa fever this year 2020 excluding Lab, scientists, technicians,nurses, pharmacists and other workers who are health expertise that have lost their dear lives to the disease.
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Its an alarming issues that needs urgent attention because attentions is paid to the novel coronavirus outbreak with whooping financial interventions from the public and private sector, Little or no attention is being paid to Lassa fever which is causing more havoc and has been endemic since the country recorded its first case in 1969.