“Cumulatively from week 1 to week 46, 2022, 178 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.0% which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (21.1%),” the report said.

The report noted that the number of suspected cases had increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021

Lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness spread by the common African rat.

It is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria. Neighboring countries are also at risk because the animal vector lives throughout the region.

The first documented case occurred in 1969. Lassa fever is named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases occurred. (ILKHA)