By Joyce Ekeh
Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak is showing a worrying fatality trend, with 252 people dying from 1,035 confirmed cases recorded so far in 2026.
The latest situation report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, showed that the case fatality rate, CFR, has risen to 24.4 per cent, meaning almost one in four confirmed cases has died.
The CFR is considerably higher than the 18.6 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025, raising concerns over delayed diagnosis and treatment.
The NCDC report for epidemiological week 33, covering August 10–16, showed that 14 new confirmed cases were recorded during the week, up from four cases in week 32.
The new cases occurred in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo and Benue states, bringing the cumulative number of suspected cases to 7,426, with six probable cases also recorded.
Lassa fever has now been confirmed in 23 states and 117 Local Government Areas, but the burden remains heavily concentrated in five states.
According to the NCDC, 87 per cent of all confirmed cases were reported from Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue states.
Ondo accounted for the largest share at 33 per cent, followed by Bauchi with 25 per cent, Taraba 13 per cent, Edo 10 per cent and Benue six per cent.
The report identified young adults aged 21–30 years as the most affected age group. Confirmed cases ranged from one to 93 years, with a median age of 30 years, while the male-to-female ratio was 1:0.9.
Healthcare workers also remain vulnerable, with 54 infections recorded cumulatively in 2026, although no new healthcare worker infection was reported during week 33.
The NCDC attributed the high fatality rate partly to late presentation, poor health-seeking behaviour and the high cost of treatment and clinical management.
Other challenges include poor environmental sanitation in high-burden communities, inadequate awareness and healthcare-worker infections.
The agency urged healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever, ensure timely referral and treatment, and strictly follow infection prevention and control measures.
“Healthcare workers should maintain high suspicion for Lassa fever and initiate timely referral and treatment, and adhere to standard infection prevention and control procedures,” the NCDC advised.
To strengthen the response, the agency said it had intensified surveillance, active case search, contact tracing, laboratory testing, case management and community engagement in affected states.
It also developed a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan, with support from the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to reduce infections among frontline health workers.
The NCDC said personal protective equipment had been pre-positioned and distributed to health facilities, while National Rapid Response Teams had been deployed to seven high-burden states.
It added that frontline healthcare workers were being trained on case management, screening, triage and infection prevention, while community engagement activities were being strengthened in affected areas.
The agency called on states to sustain year-round community engagement on Lassa fever prevention and improve early detection and referral.
“States should bolster efforts all-year-round for community engagements on prevention of Lassa fever,” it said.
Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease primarily transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by urine or faeces of infected rodents. Person-to-person transmission can also occur, particularly in healthcare settings where infection prevention measures are inadequate.
The NCDC stressed that early diagnosis and prompt treatment are critical to reducing deaths, while strengthening state capacity to prevent, detect and respond rapidly remains central to controlling the disease.
