FG confirms outbreak of deadly Dengue Fever in prominent northern state

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) on Saturday, December 16, confirmed the outbreak of dengue fever in Sokoto state.

The NCDC, in a statement posted on its website, said the outbreak was discovered in November 2023.

The statement signed by the NCDC director general, Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed that so far, 71 suspected cases, 13 confirmed cases, and zero deaths have been reported in the state.

The cases are from three local government areas -Sokoto South (60 cases), Wamako (three cases), and Dange Shuni (one case).

The agency said the current risk level of the dengue outbreak is moderate based on a dynamic risk assessment.

Legit.ng reports that Dengue fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses. It can be life-threatening within a few hours and often requires care at a hospital.

The NCDC's statement partly reads:

“There is currently adequate in-country capacity (including technical, health workforce, and diagnostic) to respond effectively in the event of a large-scale outbreak.

“Currently, there is a diagnostics capacity for the dengue virus at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and the Usman Dan Fodio University Sokoto Teaching Hospital Laboratory Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology.

“However, the NCDC will proceed to optimise existing Lassa fever testing laboratories and others within the NCDC national laboratory network for DENV diagnosis to improve preparedness and readiness in the event of a large-scale outbreak."