Katsina State has recorded a fresh case of Lassa fever, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the state to three, with two deaths so far.
A Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar, confirmed the development in an interview on Wednesday.
He disclosed that the hospital is currently managing a female patient whose husband recently died from the disease.
According to him, the patient is in stable condition and responding to treatment.
“She is stable and responding to treatment,” Abubakar said, while commending the hospital’s emergency response team for promptly isolating the patient to prevent further spread of the disease.
The consultant, however, raised concerns over what he described as a worrying shift in the pattern and severity of the outbreak across the country.
He noted that Lassa fever appears to be more deadly this year, with a significant increase in fatality rates among confirmed cases.
“Previously, the fatality rate ranged between 10 and 30 per cent, but this year, nearly one in four infected persons is dying,” he said.
Abubakar added that from January to date, over 1,000 suspected and confirmed cases have been recorded nationwide, with about 145 deaths.
He further explained that while earlier outbreaks were concentrated in the North-East, particularly Borno and Yobe states, and parts of the South-South such as Edo State, more than 90 per cent of recent cases are now concentrated in five frontline states — Benue, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, and Plateau.
According to him, the shift could be linked to factors such as climate change, insecurity, population displacement, poor hygiene, and increased movement of rodents into homes.
The expert urged health workers to treat all fever-related cases with caution and ensure strict use of Personal Protective Equipment.
He identified the multimammate rat as the primary carrier of the virus and advised residents to take preventive measures to keep rodents away from their homes.
Abubakar also warned parents against allowing children to hunt rats, stressing that contact with urine or droppings of infected rodents remains a major route of transmission.
He called on the government to address delays in laboratory testing, noting that Polymerase Chain Reaction results should be made available within one to two days to enable prompt treatment.
