The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a total of 172 deaths from Lassa fever outbreaks across 21 states, signaling a worrying rise in fatalities compared to last year.
According to the agency’s Lassa Fever Situation Report for Week 40 (Sept. 29–Oct. 5, 2025), the figure represents a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.6 per cent, higher than the 17 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.
The NCDC disclosed that 924 confirmed cases and 8,041 suspected cases have so far been documented across 106 Local Government Areas in the country.
It identified Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi as the five worst-hit states, accounting for 90 per cent of all confirmed cases, with Ondo State alone responsible for 35 per cent.
The report also revealed a spike in confirmed infections, noting that “confirmed cases rose from four in Week 39 to 13 in Week 40, all recorded in Ondo State.”
The agency explained that the most affected demographic remains young adults aged 21 to 30 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8, while no new healthcare worker infections were recorded during the week under review.
The NCDC attributed the high fatality rate to “late presentation of cases and poor health-seeking behaviour among residents of high-burden communities.”
It further highlighted poor environmental sanitation and low awareness as major contributors to the persistent spread of the virus.
In response, the NCDC said it had deployed 10 national rapid response teams to affected states, adopting a One Health approach to contain the outbreak.
The centre stated that “ongoing activities include training of healthcare workers, risk communication campaigns, and the distribution of response commodities such as Ribavirin, PPEs, and thermometers to treatment centres.”
It added that other interventions currently underway include the ongoing INTEGRATE clinical trial in Ondo State, capacity-building workshops for clinicians, and environmental health campaigns in the hardest-hit regions.
The NCDC urged state governments to intensify community engagement, improve early case detection and referral systems, and enhance public awareness to prevent further spread.
It also reminded healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever cases and to initiate prompt treatment to save lives.
Lassa fever, a viral haemorrhagic illness endemic in Nigeria, is primarily transmitted through contact with food or household items contaminated by rodents carrying the virus. Human-to-human transmission can also occur, especially in hospitals without strict infection control practices.
The illness often presents with fever, weakness, vomiting, and bleeding, and in severe cases, can lead to organ failure and death.
Nigeria continues to bear the world’s highest Lassa fever burden, with Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, and Ebonyi consistently emerging as epicentres. The disease typically peaks during the dry season (December to April) and remains one of the most lethal viral infections in the country.
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