By Ismail Auwal
At least 22 people have died following an outbreak of Lassa Fever in Bauchi State.
Radio France International, Hausa service, reported that, the outbreak has also cost the life of a chieftaincy title holder in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Nigeria is endemic for Lassa fever, a form of viral haemorrhagic fever. The deadly disease, which was first discovered in Nigeria and named after the Lassa village in Borno state, is a zoonotic infection that is spread by a multi-mammary rat called Mastomys natalensis. The outbreak of Lassa fever is also enhanced by person to person transmission.
Prior to Bauchi’s outbreak, the Minister of Health had earlier disclosed that Nigeria has recorded over a thousand cases of Lassa fever in 2020, with Ondo states reporting about 3/4 of the cases.
