Lassa Fever: NCDC Confirms 138 Deaths, 717 Cases In 18 States

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has disclosed, that the country has recorded 717 cases of Lassa fever and 138 deaths across 18 states.

NCDC made the disclosure in the Lassa fever situation report for week 18 (epidemiological week 18) released on Wednesday, which revealed that the case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 19.2 per cent, an increase from 18.0 per cent recorded same period in 2024.

According to NCDC, the number of new confirmed cases dropped from 11 in week 17 to a lower figure in the current reporting week.

A total of 93 local government areas across 18 states also recorded at least one confirmed case so far this year.

The report revealed that three states including Ondo, Bauchi, and Taraba account for 71 per cent of all confirmed cases.

Ondo alone reported 30 per cent, Bauchi 25 per cent, and Taraba 16 per cent. The remaining 28 per cent were spread across 15 other states.

The deaths were reported in 15 States: Ondo (27), Bauchi (15), Edo (19), Taraba (34), Ebonyi (11), Kogi (4), Gombe (7), Plateau (5), Benue (5), Nasarawa (4), Kaduna (2), Enugu (1), Delta (2), Cross River (1), and Ogun (1).

NCDC noted that majority of confirmed cases fall within the 21–30year age group, with patients ranging in age from 1 to 96 years.

The centre put the median age at 30 years, and the male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases at 1:0.8.

The report also showed there was no new infection among healthcare workers in week 18.

NCDC said that the National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Incident Management System remains active to coordinate response efforts at all levels.

It reiterated the need for ongoing vigilance, early reporting, and preventive measures in high-burden states to curb the spread of the disease.