Attachments
Building capacity for Lassa Fever clinical management and diagnostics
As the Lassa fever outbreak declines, a critical review of various pillars of the outbreak response is being carried out. This will inform interventions and preparedness towards the next outbreak season.
This week, the first round of the first phase of the National intensive clinical workshop on diagnosis and management of Lassa fever was conducted in Akure, Ondo State. The aim of the workshop is to build the capacity of frontline surveillance officers and healthcare workers in Nigeria for prompt and effective Lassa fever outbreak response. This is a joint collaborative effort between the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State (ISTH). The workshop is scheduled to hold across the six geopolitical zones, with the South-West Zone being the first to hold the workshop.
Participants at this workshop were drawn from all the six states in the South-west region including State Epidemiologists, State Disease surveillance and notification officers (DSNO), State Health Educators, Case Management Physicians and Head Nurses from designated Lassa fever treatment facilities and State Laboratory Scientists. Resource persons included experts from NCDC ISTH, Edo State being the foremost centre of excellence for Lassa fever management in Nigeria and the NCDC.
The workshop provided an opportunity for knowledge exchange and introducing new knowledge in the diagnosis and management of Lassa fever. Practical hands-on sessions were carried out on basic management procedures like hand hygiene and donning and doffing of personal protective equipment. The workshop ended with a field visit to the treatment centre at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo.
The 2nd Phase of the workshop will be held after all zonal workshops have been completed and will involve practical/hands-on training on case management and laboratory diagnosis for clinicians and laboratorians at ISTH, Edo State.
As the outbreak declines, the NCDC will be focused on developing strategies and creating opportunities to ensure that gaps and findings from this year’s outbreak response are addressed with subsequent improvements in preparedness levels for the next outbreak season.
Summary of reports
In the reporting week ending on April 22, 2018:
- There were 187 new cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) reported. None was confirmed as Polio. The last reported case of Polio in Nigeria was in August 2016. Active case search for AFP is being intensified as Nigeria has reinvigorated its efforts at eradicating Polio.
- 599 suspected cases of Cholera were reported from ten LGAs in seven States (Bauchi – 523, Bayelsa – 1, Borno – 8, Kaduna – 6, Kano – 38, Yobe – 20 & Zamfara – 3). Of these, 12 were laboratory confirmed and three deaths were recorded.
- Nine suspected cases of Lassa fever were reported from eight LGAs in seven States (Ebonyi – 1, FCT – 1, Gombe – 4, Kebbi – 1, Nasarawa – 1, Ogun – 1 & Plateau – 3). One was laboratory confirmed and no death was recorded.
- There were 227 suspected cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) reported from 57 LGAs in 13 States (Bauchi – 1, Borno – 6, Edo – 2, Jigawa – 1, Kaduna – 1, Kano – 6, Katsina - 130, Kebbi – 26, Kwara – 2, Niger – 1, Sokoto – 14, Yobe - 2 & Zamfara - 35). Of these, one was laboratory confirmed and four deaths were recorded. Ongoing surveillance for CSM has been intensified in all the 26 States in the Nigeria meningitis belt and case-based surveillance commenced from 4 December 2017.
- There were 561 suspected cases of Measles reported from 33 States. No laboratory-confirmed and no death was recorded.
In the reporting week, all States sent in their report. This is a remarkable improvement! Timeliness of reporting remains 89% in previous and current weeks (week 14 & 15) while completeness also remains 100% at the same period. It is very important for all States to ensure timely and complete reporting at all times, especially during an outbreak.