The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a total of 717 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 138 associated deaths across 18 states in the country so far this year.
This was revealed in the agency’s latest Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 18, released on Wednesday. The report indicated that the current Case Fatality Rate (CFR) stands at 19.2%, marking a rise from the 18.0% recorded during the same period in 2024.
NCDC noted a slight decline in the number of new confirmed cases, dropping from 11 in Week 17 to a lower figure in the current reporting period. A total of 93 Local Government Areas have recorded at least one confirmed case since the start of the year.
Three states Ondo, Bauchi, and Taraba account for 71% of all confirmed cases. Ondo recorded the highest share with 30%, followed by Bauchi with 25% and Taraba with 16%. The remaining 28% of cases were reported across 15 other states.
Fatalities have been confirmed in 15 states: Taraba (34), Ondo (27), Edo (19), Bauchi (15), Ebonyi (11), Gombe (7), Plateau (5), Benue (5), Kogi (4), Nasarawa (4), Delta (2), Kaduna (2), Ogun (1), Enugu (1), and Cross River (1).
The majority of infections were reported among individuals aged 21–30, though confirmed cases span a wide age range of 1 to 96 years. The median age is 30, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8.
Encouragingly, no new infections were recorded among healthcare workers during Week 18.
The NCDC confirmed that the National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Incident Management System remains fully operational and continues to lead coordinated response efforts across all levels.
The agency emphasized the importance of continued vigilance, prompt case reporting, and adherence to preventive measures especially in high-burden states to effectively curb further spread of the disease.
