Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Doctor Chike Ihekweazu, says the government is taking new preventive measures to reduce the rate of Lassa fever infection across Nigeria.
He made the comments at the media advocacy meeting on Lassa fever outbreak.
It was also revealed that the National Reference Laboratory for rapid testing of cases of Lassa fever, will be operational by the second quarter of 2017.
Dr. Ihekweazu added that over the last few years, Lassa fever has broken out in several states across the federation with increasing prevalence.
He explained that the new preventive measures taken by the government have reduced the rate of Lassa contraction by 20 per cent.