Lassa Fever: NCDC Confirms 11 New Cases In 3 States

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed 11 new cases of Lassa fever in three states across the country, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 811.

NCDC disclosed this on Monday in its situation report for epidemiological week 28, stating that the new infections were recorded in Ondo, Edo, and Benue States.

Cumulatively, Nigeria has recorded 152 deaths from Lassa fever so far in 2025, to translating to a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.7 per cent.

This is higher than the 17.3 per cent CFR reported during the same period in 2024.

So far this year, 21 states across 105 local government areas have reported at least one confirmed case. Notably, five states including Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi account for 89 per cent of all confirmed infections.

GOndo alone contributed 32 per cent of the cases, followed by Bauchi (23%), Edo (17%), Taraba (14%), and Ebonyi (3%).

The report also showed that the most affected age group is 21–30 years, with a median age of 30 years, and a male-to-female case ratio of 1:0.8.

Despite the recent cases, there was a general decline in both suspected and confirmed cases compared to the same period last year.

NCDC stated that the national Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group (TWG) continues to coordinate response activities across all levels to curb the spread of the disease.

Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria, primarily transmitted through contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.