Lassa Fever: Nigeria Records 14 New Cases, 3 Deaths In One Week

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that the country has recorded 14 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever and three additional deaths in epidemiological week 13 of 2025,

The cases were reported from five states: Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Ebonyi, and Nasarawa.

NCDC said that the new cases mark a decrease from the 41 infections recorded in the previous week.

According to the agency, as of week 13, 122 deaths had been reported in 2025, representing a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.5 per cent. This is a slight improvement compared to the 18.7 per cent CFR recorded during the same period in 2024.

So far, in 2025, 18 states across 93 Local Government Areas recorded at least one confirmed case of Lassa fever. Notably, 71 per cent of all confirmed cases were reported from just three states: Ondo (30%), Bauchi (25%), and Edo (16%).

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The NCDC noted that the most affected age group is between 21 and 30 years, with patients ranging from as young as one to as old as 94. The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases is one to 0.8.

Encouragingly, no new infections among healthcare workers were recorded during the week, and the number of suspected cases dropped compared to last year.

To strengthen the national response, the NCDC said the multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System (IMS) remains activated to coordinate activities across all levels.

However, health authorities continue to face several challenges, including late case presentations, poor health-seeking behaviour due to the high cost of treatment, poor environmental sanitation, and low awareness in high-burden communities.

NCDC has urged citizens to maintain good hygiene, avoid contact with rodents, and report symptoms early, stressing that timely medical intervention is critical to reducing fatalities.