A total of 164 people have so far died of Lassa fever in Nigeria in 2022.

The latest Lassa fever situation report for week 29, obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Friday, showed that there are 857 confirmed cases of the disease in the country.

The confirmed cases are said to be distributed across 24 states and 99 local government areas in the country. The report also noted that 54 healthcare workers had been infected with the disease.

The NCDC also confirmed a total of 5,890 suspected cases in 2022.

Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease associated with high morbidity and mortality, and it has both economic and health security implications.

A breakdown indicated that of all confirmed cases, Ondo has (30%); Edo, (26%); and Bauchi (14%) states.

The report read in part, “In week 29, the number of new confirmed cases increased from5 in week28, 2022to10 cases. These were reported from Edo and Ondo States.