The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has urged Nigerians to increase their personal and environmental hygiene to prevent a likely outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) and Lassa fever in the upcoming dry season.
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) caused by the Lassa virus while meningitis occurs when there is an acute inflammation of the covering of the brain and the spinal cord.
NCDC’s Director General Jide Idris said the centre’s alert on Lassa fever and meningitis was meant to prevent avoidable loss of lives that would impact individuals, families, and the nation.
Addressing a public health briefing yesterday in Abuja, the director general highlighted the necessity of early action, given the number of cases both diseases had recorded this year.
Idris said the NCDC remained committed to comprehensive efforts at reducing the spread and impact of infections across Nigeria. Commenting on Lassa fever, the director general said the Federal Government, through its Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NCDC, leads efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to cases of Lassa fever across the country.
Read Also: Enough is enough
He said Nigeria had continued to see a steady increase in the number of states reporting Lassa fever cases, due, in part, to improved surveillance, better community awareness, environmental degradation from climate change, and other harmful human activities.
“In 2022, Nigeria reported 1,067 confirmed cases across 27 states and 112 local government areas.
“In 2023, 28 states and 114 local government areas reported confirmed cases, with 9,155 suspected cases, 1,270 confirmed cases, and 227 deaths.
“As of October 13, 2024, 8,569 suspected cases, 1,035 confirmed cases, and 174 deaths have been reported across 28 states and 129 local government areas.
“The disease is also associated with significant loss of livelihood in the communities it ravages,” he said.
On meningitis, which is an epidemic-prone disease with cases reported all year round in Nigeria, Idris explained that weather conditions, like the dry season that comes with dust, winds, cold nights, and frequent upper respiratory tract infections, increase the risk of infection, especially with crowding and poor ventilation.
He said: “The highest burden of CSM in Nigeria occurs in the ‘Meningitis Belt’, which includes all 19 states in the Northern region, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and some southern states, such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun.
“In 2023/2024, Nigeria recorded 4,915 suspected and 380 confirmed cases with 361 deaths across 174 local government areas in 24 states, including the FCT.
“A total of 2,281,750 doses of Men 5CV- ACWYX have been deployed to Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe covering 134 wards in the 13 local government areas.
“The campaign targeted individuals aged 1-29 years, comprising 70 per cent of the population.
“Despite significant progress in surveillance, diagnostic capacity, and vaccination over the last few years, CSM remains a priority disease and ever-present public health threat in Nigeria with annual outbreaks in high-burden states that present a challenge for people, health systems, economies, and communities.”