WEEKLY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REPORT: INCREASING INTERVENTIONS FOR LASSA FEVER OUTBREAK RESPONSE

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This is the weekly Epidemiological report from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control for week 8,2018 focused on increasing interventions for Lassa fever outbreak response followed by the usual sections.

Lassa fever outbreak continued with a total number of 1121 suspected cases recorded from 18 affected states. Of this, 361 cases have been classified as 353 confirmed cases, 8 probable cases with 86 deaths (78 in Lab confirmed and 8 in probable) recorded giving a case fatality rate (CFR) of 23.8%.

With the recent escalation of the current Lassa fever outbreak to Level 3, more resources have been dedicated to response activities with the goal of controlling the outbreak and ensuring that identified strategies are sustainable.

Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi states account for 85% of all confirmed cases. By implication, these are the high burden or hotspot states and the focus is to ensure that State-specific interventions are employed to control the outbreak.

Some of these strategies that are being implemented include:

1. Deployment of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to the three high-burden states to provide technical support at the State and facility level in coordinating and implemented outlined strategies

2. Re-aligning with all partners to harness resources and ensure data-driven actions propel the use of all available resources

3. Targeted distribution of required consumables to meet up with increasing demands for case management of confirmed cases

4. Deployment of additional healthcare workers to treatment facilities to boost workforce for management of cases

5. Rapid assessment of processes at treatment facilities and implementing interventions for gaps identified

6. Providing on-the-job training for healthcare workers to re-orient them on treatment guidelines and IPC measures

7. Targeted community infection prevention and control training in communities with a high burden of cases with a view to reducing transmission of the disease amongst community members.

8. Enhanced surveillance activities which include active case search to promote quick case identification and subsequent management

9. Deployment of data management tools on the field to encourage real-time reporting and data analysis/interpretation to inform prompt decision making.

10. Increased contact tracing activities for contacts of confirmed cases to break the transmission of the disease in families and /or communities

11. Conducting risk communication activities in affected communities to assess practices that contribute to transmission of infection and providing information on how this can be addressed

12. High-level advocacy to affected state governments to provide needed support in outbreak control

The National Lassa fever Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) will continue to coordinate implementation of all response activities. Updates on the outbreak and control efforts are provided on different print and electronic media platforms and on the NCDC social media platforms and website: www.ncdc.gov.ng

LASSA FEVER

Please note that the data reflects the routine reports i.e. all suspected cases including the laboratory positive and negative cases

44 suspected cases of Lassa fever with 13 Laboratory confirmed and one death (CFR, 2.27%) were reported from 22 LGAs (ten States: Edo – 6, Ekiti – 2, FCT- 2, Gombe – 1, Kogi – 2, Kwara – 2, Nasarawa – 2, Niger – 2, Ondo – 19, Plateau – 3 & Taraba – 5) in week 8, 2018 compared with six suspected cases reported from five LGAs (four States) at the same period in 2017

CHOLERA

11 suspected cases of Cholera and one death (CFR, 9.09%) were reported from three LGAs (three States; Kaduna – 6, Kano – 4 & Oyo – 1 ) in week 8, 2018 compared with zero suspected case reported during the same period in 2017 (Figure 3).

Between weeks 1 and 8 (2018), 198 suspected Cholera cases with one laboratory confirmed and 14 deaths (CFR, 7.07%) from 27 LGAs (nine States) were reported compared with 38 suspected cases and four deaths (CFR, 10.53%) from seven LGAs (seven States) during the same period in 2017.

MEASLES

In the reporting week, 517 suspected cases of Measles and one death (CFR, 0.19%) were reported from 36 States compared with 629 suspected cases with three Lab. Confirmed and 14 deaths (CFR,2.23%) reported from 30 States during the same period in 2017

So far, 2983 suspected Measles cases and 25 deaths (CFR, 0.84%) were reported from 36 States and FCT compared with 3659 suspected cases with 40 laboratory confirmed and 36 deaths (CFR, 0.98%) from 36 States during the same period in 2017.