From the latest WHO regional report on the yellow fever outbreak that began in Sept. 2017, ‘the continuation of the yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria and the rapid increase of the number of cases in Edo State is concerning.’ Almost half of the cases reported in the last three months of the year in Edo were from ‘a rural farming community whose population frequently travels to the nearby state capital, Benin City, with a population of 1.5 million people’. The second phase of a YF vaccination campaign is underway across six states and the Federal Capital Territory according to ReliefWeb.
LASSA fever data for the last week of 2018 revealed another 22 cases from the states of Edo, Ondo, Bauchi and Taraba which takes the yearly total to almost 3,500. A Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) report states that ‘80% of all confirmed cases are from Edo (44%), Ondo (25%) and Ebonyi (11%) states’. Cases generally peak in the first three months of the year. In north Benin, 15 people have been diagnosed with Lassa fever since mid-December in an outbreak that stemmed from a woman who had contracted the infection in Nigeria. Read more. Lassa fever has been diagnosed in a resident of Doufelgou district in NE Togo on his return after working in Nigeria for a year. Read more
Advice for travellers
Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in West Africa, notably in Nigeria, Guinea, and Liberia. As many as 300,000 cases and 5000 deaths occur each year. However, Lassa is a remote risk for travellers. Rodents shed the virus in urine and droppings and it is spread between humans through direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces, or other bodily secretions of an infected person. Read more about Lassa fever.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.