Lassa Fever Death Toll Climbs to 229 as NCDC Records Fresh Spike in Infections

Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak has claimed 229 lives in 2026, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported a fresh rise in infections, with 25 new confirmed cases recorded within one week across five states.

‎According to the NCDC’s Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 28, confirmed infections increased from 14 cases in Week 27 to 25 cases in Week 28, with the latest cases reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi, and Cross River states.

The report revealed that between Epidemiological Weeks 1 and 28, Nigeria recorded 963 confirmed cases from 6,554 suspected infections. It added that the case fatality rate (CFR) has risen to 23.8 percent, significantly higher than the 18.7 percent recorded during the same period in 2025.

The NCDC also confirmed that one healthcare worker contracted the disease during the reporting week, highlighting the continued occupational risks faced by frontline medical personnel responding to the outbreak.

So far this year, 23 states and 114 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have reported at least one confirmed case. The agency noted that Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo, and Benue states account for 86 percent of all confirmed infections nationwide.

‎Ondo State remains the epicentre of the outbreak, contributing 31 percent of confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi (25 percent), Taraba (14 percent), Edo (10 percent), and Benue (6 percent).

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‎The report further showed that young adults aged 21 to 30 years remain the most affected age group. Confirmed patients ranged from one to 93 years, with a median age of 30 years.

The NCDC attributed the persistently high fatality rate to late presentation at health facilities, poor health-seeking behaviour, the high cost of treatment, inadequate environmental sanitation in affected communities, and low public awareness.

‎The agency urged healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever, stressing the importance of early diagnosis, prompt referral, and strict adherence to infection prevention and control protocols.

‎It also called on state governments to intensify year-round public awareness campaigns, particularly in endemic communities, to promote preventive measures and early treatment.

‎To strengthen the national response, the NCDC said the multi-partner Incident Management System remains active, coordinating surveillance, case management, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention, risk communication, and community engagement.

‎The agency disclosed that, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa CDC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), FHI 360, and other partners, it has trained frontline healthcare workers, deployed National Rapid Response Teams to seven high-burden states, strengthened infection prevention programmes, distributed personal protective equipment to health facilities, and intensified community sensitisation campaigns targeting farmers, traders, religious leaders, and traditional rulers.

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In addition, the NCDC said it has developed a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan aimed at reducing infections among frontline personnel and has circulated updated infection prevention guidelines nationwide.

‎The agency reiterated that early presentation at healthcare facilities remains critical to improving survival rates, urging Nigerians experiencing persistent fever or symptoms consistent with Lassa fever—especially those in endemic areas—to seek immediate medical attention.

It also appealed to state governments and development partners to strengthen surveillance systems, improve public awareness, and sustain coordinated response efforts to curb the spread of the disease.