Kano: Lassa Fever Kills 3, 292 Others On Alert

Health workers

The Kano state government has reveled that three people have died of the dreaded Lassa fever. The dead are two doctors and a 28 year old pregnant woman; there were no comments on their identities. 

Making the announcement, the Kano state commissioner for health, Dr Aminu Ibrahim Asanga, disclosed that about 292 people are confirmed to have come in contact with the victims and are currently under close watch. 

The Kano state branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have officially state that the two doctors died of the disease just days after operating the 28 year old pregnant woman at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) after she was transferred from a private hospital. 

Lassa fever fist made the headlines in Nigeria in 2009. There have been intermittent outbreaks across the country, cumulatively killing many thus far. 

As of February 25, 2018, there were 1081 suspected cases and 90 reported deaths. Of these, 317 of the cases and 72 deaths were certified to be Lassa.

About Lassa fever

Lassa fever was first described in 1969 after the discovery of a case in the town of Lassa, in Borno State, Nigeria. Lassa virus is a member of the Arenaviridae virus family. The illness is also called Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF) and is caused by the Lassa virus.

Many who are infected by the virus usually do not exhibit symptoms. The symptoms are typically fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains. In rare cases, bleeding from the mouth and/or gastrointestinal tract occurs.  

Just about 1% of carriers die and mortality frequently occurs within two weeks of the appearance of symptoms. About a quarter of survivors suffer hearing loss however, hearing could improve within three months.

The urine or faeces of an infected multimammate mouse is the vector of the disease but, it can also spread via direct contact with infected people.

Lassa fever is common in Sub-Saharan Africa with Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea being hot spots. There are between 300,000 and 500,000 cases on the continent which result in about 5,000 deaths every year.