Abuja, May 16 -- The death toll of the Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has risen to 138 since the beginning of this year, public health authorities said Thursday.
In a statement posted to its website, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said that 717 confirmed cases have been recorded so far.
At least 18 out of the 36 states in the country have been affected by the viral hemorrhagic disease so far this year, with the southern states of Ondo and the northern states of Bauchi and Taraba the worst-hit, accounting for more than 71 percent of the total confirmed cases, the NCDC said. This development, according to the public health agency, has "signalled persistent hotspots despite na...