A case report of Lassa fever in a military cantonment, Kaduna state, April 2017

Introduction : lassa fever (LF) is a viral haemorrhagic illness caused by an Arenavirus. Humans get infected via contact with feces, urine and blood of infected rats (Mastomys natalensis). The disease is endemic in West Africa with 300,000 - 500,000 cases and 500 deaths annually. In Nigeria, LF outbreaks occurred continuously from Oct 2016 - April 2017 in 16 States with a total of 242 suspected cases, 58 confirmed cases and 46 deaths (Case Fatality Rate: 79.3%) recorded. On the 27th of March 2017, a suspected case was reported at military cantonment Jaji, Kaduna state. We investigated to confirm the diagnosis, determine the magnitude and institute public health measures.