The Taraba State Government has reiterated its determination to tackle the spread of Lassa Fever, following reports that 46 people died from 100 confirmed infections across the state within one year.
Representing the Taraba State Ministry of Health, Dahiru Zakari assured that the government is scaling up interventions to eliminate Lassa Fever in the state, noting that sensitisation and early case detection remain key to reducing the death toll.
This was highlighted during a meeting organised for Community Health Workers and Media Executives on Community-Led Intervention for Lassa Fever at Ardo-Kola Local Government Area.
Speaking at the event, the Surveillance Officer of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Taraba, Halilu Abubakar, revealed that 380 suspected cases were documented across 16 local government areas, with 100 confirmed in four councils.
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He identified Jalingo, Bali, Ardo-Kola and Gassol as the epicentres of the outbreak.
According to him, “Taraba is one of the five states that are most affected with the cases of Lassa Fever in the whole country. In our state, all the local government have reported cases of suspected Lassa Fever, but however, the highest number of the suspected cases is coming from Jalingo, Bali, Ardo-Kola and Gassol local government areas.
“For the number of cases that were confirmed as well, Jalingo has the highest number, then followed by Bali, Ardo-Kola and Gassol in that order. In the whole state, the case fatality rate is about 46%. We have 63 that are confirmed to be Lassa positive.
“Out of 100 cases that we reported and are confirmed to be Lassa fever, 46 of them died, which means, the case fatality rate is very high.
“Perhaps people don’t normally report these cases on time. This is not unconnected that they are not very clear or ignorant about Lassa Fever.”
Abubakar emphasised that the gathering was designed to raise awareness on the symptoms, dangers, and preventive measures against the disease, stressing the importance of community participation in reducing the impact.
