Lagos Govt Alerts Residents On Lassa Fever Outbreak

Lagos State has launched a statewide campaign to combat Lassa fever, as infections soar nationwide and healthcare workers face growing risks on the frontlines.

The state’s commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, who raised the alarm on Saturday said Nigeria is currently grappling with one of its worst outbreaks in years, logging over 660 confirmed cases and 167 heartbreaking deaths from January to mid-March 2026 alone.

He disclosed that the outbreak has spread across 22 states and 93 local government areas, describing the trend as “a serious national health concern” that demands urgent, coordinated and proactive measures at both federal and state levels.

According to him, an especially troubling dimension of the outbreak is the infection of frontline health workers, revealing that at least 38 healthcare personnel have contracted the disease, with three doctors losing their lives since the start of the year.

‘’When a disease begins to kill front line workers, that is a serious warning sign,” Abayomi stated, stressing that the situation underscores the need for heightened vigilance, strict infection prevention protocols and rapid response systems.

He explained that Lassa fever is a highly contagious zoonotic viral disease transmitted primarily from rodents and bush meat to humans, and subsequently spreads from person to person, often presenting as a hemorrhagic illness capable of causing fever and internal bleeding.

Although Lagos is not classified as an endemic state and typically records only a few imported cases annually, the Commissioner warned that its status as a densely populated commercial hub significantly increases the risk of rapid transmission.

“Every day, thousands of people move in and out of Lagos by road and air. In a mega city like ours, infectious diseases can spread very quickly if not contained early, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Abayomi noted that unlike in the past when Lassa fever occurred in seasonal peaks, emerging evidence now suggests year-round transmission, partly driven by increased human interaction with rodent reservoirs and environmental changes.

He added that about 70 per cent of infected persons exhibit mild or no symptoms but remain infectious, thereby posing a silent transmission risk, particularly in densely populated urban centres like Lagos.

Highlighting the severity of the disease, he stated that approximately one in five symptomatic patients develops serious complications that may result in death, especially in cases where diagnosis and treatment are delayed.

The commissioner further classified Lassa fever alongside other high-risk viral diseases such as Ebola and Marburg virus disease, noting that they belong to a category of “pathogens of high consequence” capable of overwhelming health systems if not properly managed.

He attributed the increasing incidence of such diseases to factors including climate change, deforestation and ecological disruption, which are driving rodents and other wildlife closer to human settlements while also pushing humans deeper into natural habitats.

To mitigate the risks, Prof Abayomi revealed that Lagos State has strengthened its preparedness architecture through a 24-hour Emergency Operations Centre, enhanced surveillance systems, digital health tools and continuous training of healthcare workers in biosecurity and infection prevention.