Despite lessons from the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics, Nigeria’s readiness for an outbreak of diseases such as Lassa Fever is yet to meet internationally-accepted standards, an expert has said.
Ngozi Toby, a medical expert in Rivers State, speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on Lassa Fever in Port Harcourt recently, said while other countries had developed robust containment frameworks for infectious diseases, Nigeria still treats Lassa Fever as an afterthought.
In early 2023, Nigeria reported 4,702 suspected cases of Lassa fever, 5 probable cases, and 877 confirmed cases, with 152 deaths, reflecting a case fatality rate of 17% and a 20% increase in confirmed cases compared to the same period in 2022, according to a United Nations report.