Epidemiological Pattern of Lassa Fever Outbreak in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria, 2014 to 2019

Introduction: Annual outbreak of Lassa Fever (LF) has been reported in Ondo State over the years. We analyzed LF surveillance data from January 2014 to December 2019 to describe the epidemiological pattern of the outbreak. Method: Lassa fever dataset from January 2014 to December 2019 was obtained from the State Ministry of Health. Variables analyzed include date of onset of symptom, age, gender, place (Local Government Area, LGA) and outcome of laboratory test. Data were summarized using frequencies, proportions, chart and maps. Results: From January 2014 and December 2019, 2141 suspected LF cases were reported. Of these, 551 cases were laboratory confirmed with 134 deaths recorded. The LF cases (suspected vs. confirmed) reported increased in 2016 (73 vs. 19), 2017 (207 vs. 76), 2018 (452 vs. 159) and 2019 (856 vs. 285) respectively. Most of the confirmed cases (89.5%) were ≥15 years while more than half (53.7%) were males. Prior to 2016, only two LGAs (Owo and Ose) recorded continued transmission of the disease. However, between 2016 and 2019, the disease had spread to 8 neighboring LGAs (P < 0.001) with the CFR declining from 67% in 2015 to 20% in 2019. Conclusion: We found an unusual increase in the suspected LF cases reported between January 2016 and December 2019 with a corresponding increase in the confirmed cases and high annual case fatality rates. Hence, we recommend intensified surveillance activities to enhance timely reporting of cases and laboratory confirmation to ensure early commencement of treatment to reduce the case fatality rate.