Shehu Nathan Y, Gomerep Simji S, Isa Samson E, Iraoyah Kelly O, Mafuka Johnson, Bitrus Nandom, Dachom Matthias C, Ogwuche John E, Onukak Asukwo E, Onyedibe Kenneth I, Ogbaini-Emovon Ephraim, Egah Daniel Z, Mateer Elizabeth J, Paessler Slobodan
Infectious Disease Unit, Department of Medicine, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria.
Front Public Health. 2018 Aug 29;6:232. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00232. eCollection 2018.
Lassa fever (LF) outbreaks in Nigeria mostly occur in rural areas and during the dry season, peaking between December through February. Fever is a cardinal presenting feature among the myriad manifestations of LF. Thirty four patients with clinical diagnosis of LF were analyzed. However, only 11 (32%) LASV infections were confirmed by RT-PCR. The 2016 LF outbreak showed a preferential urban occurrence and a high case fatality. Fever (≥38°C) was not detected in over a fourth of the patients at the time of examination. Bleeding diathesis was the most common presentation while abdominal pain and headache were present in more than half of the confirmed cases. Changes in the geographical distribution and clinical presentation may have implications for disease control efforts and the risk of transmission, both locally and internationally. In order to guide interventions, public health authorities should be aware that the epidemic patterns may be changing.
尼日利亚的拉沙热疫情大多发生在农村地区和旱季,12月至2月达到高峰。发热是拉沙热众多临床表现中的主要特征。对34例临床诊断为拉沙热的患者进行了分析。然而,只有11例(32%)拉沙病毒感染通过逆转录聚合酶链反应得到确诊。2016年的拉沙热疫情显示出在城市地区更为高发且病死率较高。超过四分之一的患者在检查时未检测到发热(≥38°C)。出血素质是最常见的表现,而超过一半的确诊病例有腹痛和头痛症状。地理分布和临床表现的变化可能对疾病防控工作以及本地和国际传播风险产生影响。为指导干预措施,公共卫生当局应意识到疫情模式可能正在发生变化。