Health Digest Reveals 5 Major Epidemics/Diseases Recorded in Nigeria this Year

2022 is one year that Nigeria battled to contain some killer diseases and ravaging pandemics in the country.

This report by Aishat Abisola Mohammed and Lawal Dahiru Mamman of Health Digest (HealthDigest.ng) takes a look at the top five major epidemics/diseases recorded in Nigeria this year: their prevalence rate, states affected, the number of cases, and the casualty figures, among other key factors.

MONKEYPOX

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys that were kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox.’

In 1970, the first human case of monkeypox was recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.

Ever since then, monkeypox has been seen and reported in people in several other central and western African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone.

Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans and occurs sporadically, primarily in remote villages of Central and West Africa near tropical rainforests. Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa where the disease is found to be endemic

It is an infection that does not spread easily between people. It is usually a mild self-limiting illness and most people recover within a few weeks. However, severe illness can occur in some individuals.

The infection can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person, although there is a very low risk of transmission to the general population. The initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, sore throat, chills, exhaustion, and enlargement of glands (lymph nodes) in the neck and under the jaw. A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body(palms, soles of the feet, genitals). The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.”

It was reported by the UKHSA that a patient who had recently traveled from was infected with monkeypox and was receiving care at the Infectious Disease Unit of Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.

On 7th May 2022, the NCDC was notified by the UK International Health Regulations (IHR) national focal point of a case of monkeypox detected in a patient who had a recent travel history to Nigeria.

The patient is a UK resident that arrived in Nigeria on 20th April 2022, traveled to Lagos and Delta States during their time spent in Nigeria, departed Lagos on 3rd May 2022, and arrived in the UK on the 4th of May, 2022.

While the patient was in Nigeria, they did not report being in contact with anyone with symptoms of monkeypox or other illnesses with a rash.

The diagnosis of monkeypox (West African clade) was confirmed by PCR in the UK on the 6th of May 2022.

The NCDC also reported that between September 2017 and the 30th of April 2022, a total of 558 cases and eight deaths were confirmed from 22 states.

LASSA FEVER

Lassa fever is a zoonotic (animal-borne) acute viral illness that is spread by the common African rat (Mastomys natalensis).

The disease is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria.

Once the rodent is infected, it is able to excrete the virus in its urine for an extended time period, possibly for the rest of its life.

This breed of rodents reproduces frequently, produces large numbers of offspring, and can be found in the savannas and forests of the west, central, and east Africa.

The Mastomys rodent can easily colonize human homes and areas where food is stored.

Lassa Fever is a constantly reoccurring disease in Nigeria and has a high prevalence rate.

Lassa fever presents itself like any other febrile illness such as malaria.

This means that it displays itself in the form of fever-like symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, and nausea.

Other symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other body areas.

The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms of the disease can range from between 3 to 21 days.

The chances of survival for this disease increase with early treatment and diagnosis.

So far, there have been almost 200 deaths this year as a result of Lassa fever.

Between week 1 and week 13 of 2022, 138 deaths were reported with a case fatality rate of 19.3 percent which was lower than the CFR during the same period in 2021.

There has been an increase in the number of recurring cases since the last Lassa fever outbreak in 2016.

In 2022, 23 states had recorded at least one confirmed case across 95 local government areas.

Out of all confirmed cases, 68 percent of them are from Ondo (28 %), Edo (25%), and Bauchi (15%).

The predominant age group of those who were affected is 21-30 years old (range: 1 to 80 years, median age: 30 years).

Compared to the number of cases that were reported for the same period in 2021, the number of suspected cases had increased.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Thursday, there has been a significant increase in the number of Lassa fever deaths and cases across the country.

As of May 2022, as stated in an NCDC situation report on the disease, no less than 155 deaths with 4,820 suspected cases were reported across 97 local government areas in 24 states of the federation.

MEASLES

Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus from the paramyxovirus family.

Measles, or rubeola, is a viral infection that starts in the respiratory system. The measles virus infects the respiratory tract first. However, it eventually spreads to other parts of the body through the bloodstream.

Measles is only known to occur in humans and not in other animals. There are 24 known genetic types of measles, although only 6 are currently circulating.

It is contagious, spreads easily and can be fatal for small children.

Measles can be spread through the air from respiratory droplets and small aerosol particles. An infected person can release the virus into the air when they cough or sneeze.

Although death rates have been falling globally as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills more than 200,000 people a year, mostly children.

Measles signs and symptoms appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

The infection occurs in stages over 2 to 3 weeks.

Sokoto State is one of eight states in Nigeria that has the worst cases of measles outbreaks in the country and is also one of the states with the lowest rates of child immunisation.

According to UNICEF, less than one-tenth of the children in the state receive immunisation against early childhood diseases like measles.

A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) showed that Nigeria had recorded 12,341 cases of measles in the past year, with its global incidence rate increasing by 79 percent in the first two months of 2022.

The two global organisations confirmed Nigeria to be part of the countries in Africa with the largest outbreaks.

In a breakdown of the report, Nigeria was shown to have had 12,341 reported measles cases in the last 12 months and was closely followed by Somalia with 9,068 infections, Yemen with 3,629, Afghanistan with 3,628, and Ethiopia with 3039 incidents.

CHOLERA

Cholera is a severe bacterial infection contracted through the consumption of food and water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection is extremely virulent and causes severe acute watery diarrhoea.

It takes between 12 hours and 5 days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water. Cholera affects both the young and old and if left untreated can lead to fatality.

Cholera remains a global threat to public health according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), affecting 47 countries of the world, including Nigeria. Studies published by the WHO have estimated that each year there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths worldwide due to cholera.

In Nigeria, cholera is seasonal, occurring mostly during the rainy season, with the first outbreak recorded between 1970 and 1990.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), as of the 24th of August, 3,610 cases of cholera has resulted in 91 deaths from 31 out of 36 states of the federation so far in this year.

In an effort to control the infection, Nigeria joined a global strategy; Ending Cholera: a global roadmap to 2030, launched in 2017 to reduce cholera deaths by 90% in at least 20 out of 47 countries affected by 2030.

MENINGITIS

Meningitis is an inflammation of the fluid and three membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Virus and bacteria are the most common cause but fungal, cancer and drug-induced meningitis is a possibility.

Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) is a priority epidemic-prone disease with cases reported all year round in Nigeria. The highest burden occurs in the part of sub-Saharan Africa – Meningitis belt. In Nigeria, the belt covers all The 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) falls within meningitis belt.

In Nigeria, cerebrospinal meningitis is recorded all year round, the disease has a special liking for dry season with peak between January and May. It is characterised by acute severe infection of the central nervous system with associated morbidity and mortality.

The most common symptoms and signs are fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, photophobia (sensitivity to light), neck stiffness and altered consciousness, confusion or difficulty concentrating, seizures, sleepiness or difficulty waking, among others.

Transmission is through direct person-to-person contact, including droplets from the nose and throat of infected persons while certain climatic conditions like dry season, winds, cold nights, and associated upper respiratory tract infections makes it easier.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported that since the first outbreak of meningitis in 2016 which extended to 2017, over 1,000 people have lost their lives. Two months ago, an outbreak in 14 local government areas in Jigawa state alone left 100 dead.

The Centre has joined the global community to defeat the disease in the next 8 years through elimination of bacterial meningitis, reduction of vaccine preventable meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70% and reducing disability, and improve quality of life after meningitis.