Lax lab analysis, late hospital admission cause of Lassa fever deaths —NAS president

As the number of cases of Lassa fever continues to rise all over the country, President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Mosto Onuoha, has called on the Federal Government to declare the ravaging disease a ‘public health event of national emergency and concern.’

So far, there are 365 confirmed cases of the Lassa fever outbreak, with 47 deaths spread across 23 of the nation’s 36 states.

In a statement made available to PUNCH HealthWise on Monday, Onuoha said, “Over the past 50 years, Lassa fever has become a disease occurring in perennial outbreaks in nearly all the states of Nigeria, with increasing numbers of suspected cases, dry season peaks, and unacceptably high fatality rates. Read more