The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has sounded the alarm on the escalating yellow fever cases in the country, coinciding with the ongoing cholera outbreak.
Director-General Dr. Jide Idris warned of the alarming surge in yellow fever cases, emphasizing the need for vaccination to provide lifelong immunity.
As the rainy season intensifies, the NCDC has reported three presumptive positive yellow fever cases, with two in Ekiti state and one in Bayelsa, resulting in one death.
Yellow fever, a viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, presents symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, back pain, body aches, and jaundice.
Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak has spread across 34 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), affecting 187 local government areas.
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The NCDC has recorded 3,623 suspected cholera cases and 103 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 2.8%.
Although there has been a slight decrease in reported cases and fatalities in the past week, the agency cautions that the peak of the rainy season, which worsens cholera outbreaks, is still ahead.
Dr. Idris expressed concerns about underreporting due to poor surveillance resources and the political stigma linked to the disease.
He stressed the importance of vaccination against yellow fever and the need for the public to take preventive measures, such as using mosquito repellents, wearing protective clothing, and eliminating stagnant water to reduce mosquito breeding areas.
The NCDC is working tirelessly to combat the dual health crises, implementing a national incident action plan, deploying rapid response teams, and strengthening surveillance, case management, and community engagement to address the cholera outbreak.
The agency is also intensifying case management efforts to sustain the decline in the fatality ratio until the global target case fatality rate of less than 1% is achieved.
