Nigeria is facing renewed concern over its handling of Lassa fever, as health experts warn that the country has yet to treat the disease with the urgency it demands. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 4,881 suspected cases have been reported so far in 2025, with 717 confirmed and 138 deaths recorded.
The latest Lassa fever situation report, covering epidemiological week 18, indicates a concerning rise in the case fatality rate (CFR), which now stands at 19.2% up from 18.0% during the same period in 2024.
Though the number of new confirmed cases declined slightly from 11 in week 17 to a lower figure in the current reporting week, the disease remains widespread, having affected 93 local government areas across 18 states.
Three states Ondo, Bauchi, and Taraba account for the bulk of confirmed infections, representing 71% of all cases. Ondo leads with 30%, followed by Bauchi with 25% and Taraba with 16%. The remaining 28% are distributed across 15 other states.
Deaths have been recorded in 15 states, with Taraba reporting the highest number (34), followed by Ondo (27), Edo (19), and others including Ebonyi (11), Bauchi (15), and Kogi (4). Other affected states include Gombe, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Enugu, Delta, Cross River, and Ogun.
Prominent virologist, Oyewale Tomori, criticized the country’s response, stating that Nigeria has “toyed” with Lassa fever and failed to recognize it as a serious public health threat. “Until we treat it as a priority, the disease will continue to devastate our communities,” he warned.
Tomori emphasized the importance of targeted and practical public health education. “Generic warnings like ‘don’t eat bush meat’ are not effective. People will eat it regardless. We need detailed, step-by-step information about where the rodent hosts live, how transmission occurs, the symptoms to watch for, and how people can protect themselves,” he said.
He also pointed to a major weakness in Nigeria’s diagnostic infrastructure, revealing that only around 10% of suspected Lassa fever cases are confirmed through laboratory testing. “That means we’re essentially in the dark about the remaining 90%. This diagnostic gap seriously undermines our ability to understand and contain the disease,” he said.
Health experts are now calling for urgent improvements in disease surveillance, diagnostic capacity, and public awareness to prevent further spread and fatalities.
