This year marks 50 years since the identification of the virus causing Lassa disease in the village of Lassa, in Nigeria. It is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever, which is endemic in West Africa countries of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Benin, and is causing up to 5,000 deaths a year. In 2018, Nigeria has experienced its largest recorded Lassa-Fever outbreak. An unprecedented feature in this epidemic was the 37 health care workers infected in eight states, nine of whom died. As of 3rd June 2018, a total of 1,982 suspected cases were reported from 22 of the 36 Nigeria states. Across 90 Local Government Areas, there was at least one confirmed case. In October and November 2018 in Ebonyi State, 16 patients were admitted to the Lassa Fever MSF programme in Federal Teaching Hospital (FETHA); 4 were confirmed having Lassa fever, 1 was cured and 2 patients died. Three new confirmed cases were recorded in January 2019.
In March 2018, MSF started a project in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to respond to Lassa Fever, with specific reference to reducing mortality and enhancing improved case management protocols for the country and the wider region of West Africa. MSF is supporting FETHA- with a bed capacity of 700 - to improve the protection of staff, patients and visitors against Lassa fever, with implementation of a better lay out of patient/staff flow and provision of protection equipment. MSF has additionally invested in human resource development through trainings from MSF expertise team and through health promotion activities improved the sensitization of the disease in the hospital and at community level.