Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025268 (Oral 055) | Published: 12 Aug 2025
Nneka Marian Chika-Igwenyi1,&, Chizaram Anselm Onyeaghala2, Kyrian Sunday Chukwu1, Chikaodiri Igwenyi1, Eric Chinonso Nwojiji1, Robinson Chukwudi Onoh1
1Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria, 2University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Nneka Marian Chika-Igwenyi, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria, Email: nnekaigwenyi@gmail.com
Received: 31 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 12 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa fever, yellow fever, coinfection, southeastern Nigeria
©Nneka Marian Chika-Igwenyi 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: Nneka Marian Chika-Igwenyi et al., Lassa fever-yellow fever coinfection in southeastern Nigeria: A dual epidemic challenge. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00055. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEP H-CONFPRO5-00055
Lassa fever (LF) and yellow fever (YF) remain a significant public health risk in Nigeria, where outbreaks frequently occur and limited healthcare resources complicate disease management. LF spreads through rodents, while YF is mosquito-borne, making coinfections particularly challenging to diagnose and treat. Weak healthcare infrastructure, poor access to diagnostic tools, scarce antiviral treatments, and vaccine hesitancy worsen the situation. Effective management requires rapid detection, improved clinical care, and stronger public health strategies. This case report highlights the complexities and successful management of co-infection with LF and YF in a frontline healthcare worker and the urgent need for strengthened healthcare systems.
This case report examines a confirmed LF/YF coinfection in a tertiary healthcare facility in Southeastern Nigeria. Diagnosis was confirmed via real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Clinical symptoms, treatment approaches, and epidemiological impact were evaluated. Supportive care and interventions were documented. Findings highlight diagnostic challenges and management complexities in resource-limited settings.
A 42-year-old male Nigerian primary healthcare practitioner presented with a week’s history of persistent high-grade fever, headache, cough, and myalgia unresponsive to antimalarials and antibiotics. He had recent exposure to patients who died from a febrile illness with bleeding. RT-PCR confirmed LF. His condition deteriorated, manifesting in jaundice, epistaxis, haemoptysis, bloody stool, dark urine, breathlessness, and extreme fatigue. Examination revealed pyrexia, lethargy, epigastric tenderness, pulmonary oedema, and right-sided pleural effusion. The presence of jaundice prompted clinical suspicion of YF, later confirmed through RT-PCR. Intensive supportive care, including Ribavirin, led to a full recovery after 15 days of hospitalization.
Although rare, LF/YF coinfections pose serious health risks, demanding heightened surveillance, a high index of suspicion, rapid diagnostics, and improved healthcare capacity. Strengthening disease monitoring and public health interventions through a One-Health approach is essential to mitigating the risk of outbreaks from emerging zoonotic diseases.
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