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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has given reasons why Nigeria may not be able to stop Lassa fever (LF), Monkeypox and cholera outbreaks, even as it confirmed one death and 11 cases of Lassa fever in Edo, Ondo and Bauchi states.
To address the perennial Lassa fever outbreaks in the country, the NCDC said it was working with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and planning preliminary and preparatory studies on vaccine candidates this year in Nigeria.
CEPI is a public-private coalition that aims to derail epidemics by speeding up the development of vaccines.
Besides, latest figures of Lassa fever outbreak in the country, published yesterday by the NCDC showed that in the reporting week 31 (July 29 and August 4, 2019), 11 new confirmed cases were reported in Edo (seven), Ondo (three), Bauchi (one) and one death in Ondo.
On why the outbreaks of the diseases have continued in spite of NCDC efforts, its Director-General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, explained that it was difficult to eliminate the diseases where there is an animal host and where transmissions are carried by animals in humans without vaccines.
