Nigeria has recorded 59 deaths since Jan. 3 from an outbreak of Lassa fever, authorities said Wednesday. 

In a statement, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Nigerian agency responsible for the management of disease outbreaks, said 19 people died in the past week due to the outbreak while a total of 358 cases have been detected since Jan. 3.

Last year, 674 cases of Lassa fever were detected in the country, while 102 people died due to the epidemic.

Lassa fever, which has been observed in many African countries including Mali, Togo, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, was first reported in Nigeria in 1969 in northeastern Borno state.

The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency over Lassa fever on Jan. 23, 2019.

The viral hemorrhagic fever is primarily transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated with urine or feces from Mastomys rats, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Authorities in Nigeria are warning the public to be careful about hygiene and not to come into contact with mice and other rodents./agencies