Nigeria has recorded 229 deaths from Lassa fever in 2026, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported a renewed rise in infections, with 25 fresh confirmed cases detected within one week across five states.
Vanguard reported that the agency’s latest Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 28, confirmed infections increased from 14 cases recorded in Week 27 to 25 in Week 28. The new cases were reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi and Cross River states.
The report indicated that from Epidemiological Weeks 1 to 28, the country confirmed 963 cases out of 6,554 suspected infections. During the same period, the case fatality rate reached 23.8 per cent, compared with 18.7 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
The NCDC also confirmed that one healthcare worker contracted the disease during the reporting week, highlighting the continued exposure of frontline medical personnel responding to the outbreak.
Data from the agency showed that Lassa fever has been confirmed in 23 states and 114 Local Government Areas so far this year. Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue states accounted for 86 per cent of all confirmed cases nationwide.
The agency said Ondo alone contributed 31 per cent of confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi with 25 per cent, Taraba 14 per cent, Edo 10 per cent, and Benue with six per cent.
The disease continues to affect mostly young adults, with people between the ages of 21 and 30 recording the highest number of infections. Confirmed patients ranged from one to 93 years old, with a median age of 30 years.
The NCDC attributed the persistently high death rate to late presentation of patients at health facilities, poor health-seeking behaviour driven partly by the high cost of treatment, poor environmental sanitation in high-burden communities and inadequate public awareness of the disease.
The agency warned healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever and ensure early diagnosis and prompt referral of suspected cases.
It added that ongoing response measures focus on case management, infection prevention and control, laboratory diagnosis, risk communication and community engagement.
Among recent interventions, the agency said it trained frontline healthcare workers with support from the World Health Organization, Africa CDC, Médecins Sans Frontières, FHI 360 and other partners; deployed National Rapid Response Teams to seven high-burden states; strengthened infection prevention programmes in endemic states; distributed personal protective equipment to health facilities; and conducted community sensitisation campaigns targeting farmers, market women, religious and traditional leaders.
The NCDC further disclosed that it had developed a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan to reduce infections among frontline personnel, while updated infection prevention guidelines had been circulated nationwide.
The agency reiterated that early presentation at health facilities remains critical to survival, urging Nigerians to seek immediate medical attention for persistent fever or symptoms suggestive of Lassa fever, especially in endemic areas.
It also called on state governments and development partners to reinforce surveillance systems, intensify public awareness campaigns and sustain coordinated response efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.
