Lassa fever in Nigeria

12 Jul 2021

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reports transmission of Lassa fever continues in Nigeria.

In the week ending 8 July 2021, three new cases were reported from Edo and Ondo states. From 1 January to 8 July 2021, there have been 318 confirmed cases of Lassa fever in Nigeria, of whom 63 have died. In 2021, 14 states have reported at least one confirmed case. Of the confirmed cases, 81% are from Edo (45%), Ondo (30%) and Taraba (6%) states.

Lassa fever is a type of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) endemic in parts of West Africa. Lassa virus is transmitted through excretions (urine or poo) from infected rodents (Mastomys rats). Transmission can also occur via body fluids of infected people.

Advice for Travellers

The risk to travellers becoming infected or developing Lassa fever is extremely low, unless living in conditions of poor sanitation and overcrowding in rural areas where these rodents are usually found.

If you are travelling to an area with a Lassa fever outbreak, you should be aware of your risk of infection and transmission routes of Lassa virus which is most commonly through:

ingesting or breathing in tiny particles in the air if it has been contaminated with infected rodent excretions, for example during cleaning activities such as sweeping
touching objects soiled with infected rat excretions, and infecting open cuts or sores
eating food which has been contaminated with rat excretions

Medical personnel travelling to work in an outbreak region must follow strict infection prevention control guidance.

If you return from a Lassa fever outbreak area, you should seek rapid medical attention by contacting NHS 24 (Scotland) or NHS 111 (rest of UK) for advice prior to attending UK medical facilities if you develop a high temperature (fever) and have:

returned to the UK within 21 days from a region or area with a known outbreak of Lassa fever
had contact with individuals infected with a VHF

For further information, see the fitfortravel Viral Haemorrhagic Fever page.