Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC202531 (Poster 072) | Published: 01 Aug 2025
Adamu Ishaku Akyala1,&, Stephen Olaide Aremu1, Awayimbo Ruth Jaggu1, Silas Sunday Gyar1
1Global Health and Infectious Disease Control Institute, Nasarawa State University, KeffI, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Adamu Ishaku Akyala, Global Health and Infectious Disease Control Institute, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Email: i.adamu@nsuk.edu.ng
Received: 18 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 01 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa fever, mortality, fatality rates, diagnostic accuracy, emerging trends
©Adamu Ishaku Akyala et al Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Adamu Ishaku Akyala et al., Emerging trends and associated risk factors influencing mortality and fatality rates of Lassa fever in Nigeria, 2001-2024: A retrospective study. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00216. https://doi.org/10.37432/jieph-confpro5-00216
Lassa fever is a highly dangerous viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. The mortality rate for hospitalized patients ranges from 15% to 20%, escalating to 50% during epidemics, and is exceptionally high among pregnant women, reaching 90% in those infected during their third trimester. This study seeks to generate critical insights that may significantly reduce the risk of death from Lassa fever
Time trends for Lassa fever mortality and fatality rates were analyzed using simple linear regression. Negative binomial regression was used to examine associations between the dengue mortality and case fatality rates and socioeconomic, demographic, and healthcare indicators at the municipality level from 2001 to 2024.
The case fatality rate for Lassa hemorrhagic fever in Nigeria increased from 2001 to 2024. Specifically, the rate for patients aged 0-14 years rose (β=0.48; p=0.030), as did the rate for those aged 15 years and older (β=1.1; p<0.01). Factors associated with the Lassa case fatality rate included average income per capita (MRR=0.88; p=0.038) and the number of basic health units available per population (MRR=0.98; p<0.001). Additionally, mortality rates continued to rise from 2001 to 2024 (β=0.450; p=0.002). Factors correlated with mortality included inequality (RR=1.02; p=0.001), high income per capita (MRR=0.96; p=0.005), and a higher proportion of the population living in urban areas (MRR=1.01; p<0.001).
The alarming increase in mortality and case fatality rates linked to Lassa fever, compounded by pressing socioeconomic and healthcare challenges, underscores the urgent need for a decisive and unified response. To effectively reduce mortality during public health crises, we must prioritize and protect our most vulnerable populations during outbreaks.
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