Measles: 190 Children Killed As Cases Hit 18,577 In 36 States, FCT

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said the country has recorded 18, 577 confirmed cases of measles with 190 deaths across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The director-general of NCDC, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, who disclosed this at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, said 40 local government areas had active outbreak.

Ifedayo, who was represented by the assistant director and head of response division at NCDC, Dr Aderinola Olaolu, linked the increase in the risk of measles to  the impact of COVID-19 which he said had continued to be felt across several areas including the probable increase in yellow fever outbreaks due to delayed planned vaccination campaigns.

On Lassa fever, he said there had been 909 confirmed cases and 170 deaths as at week 34, from 25 states and 101 LGAs.

“Of all confirmed cases, 70 percent are from Ondo, Edo and Bauchi States,” he said.

On monkeypox, he said there were 815 suspected cases, 318 confirmed cases and seven deaths this year.

The DG said with regards to infection, prevention and control, the centre had continued to train IPC focal persons and develop IPC guidelines, adding that laboratory activities had continued and were being strengthened in areas of sample collection and genomic sequencing.