The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the outbreak of Dengue fever in Sokoto State on Saturday 16th December 2023.
A statement endorsed by the Director General, Ifedayo Adetifa, NCDC noted that that so far, there are 71 suspected cases, 13 confirmed cases, and zero deaths reported in the following Areas -Sokoto South (60 cases), Wamako (three cases) and Dange Shuni (one case).
It was gathered that most of the suspected cases affected persons between the age range of 21- 40 years old.
Dengue fever is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus and transmitted to humans as a result of the infected mosquito’s bite.
Meanwhile, human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been ascertained yet. The virus is majorly found in tropical and sub-tropical climates, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas of the globe.
Persons living with Dengue Fever tend to have mild or no symptoms and will get better in one to two weeks.
Sparingly, Dengue can be serious and result to death. Symptoms of this disease usually start four to 10 days after infection and last for two days or a week.
Symptoms of the fever may include high fever (40°C/104°F), severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, and rash. Individuals who are infected for the second time are at greater risk of its severity.
According to the NCDC, 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.
