In its Week 40 Lassa Fever Situation Report, covering September 29 to October 5, the NCDC said 924 confirmed cases and 8,041 suspected cases were reported across 106 Local Government Areas.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 172 deaths from Lassa fever across 21 states, representing an 18.6 per cent Case Fatality Rate (CFR) — higher than the 17 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.
In its Week 40 Lassa Fever Situation Report, covering September 29 to October 5, the NCDC said 924 confirmed cases and 8,041 suspected cases were reported across 106 Local Government Areas.
According to the agency, Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi states accounted for 90 per cent of all confirmed cases, with Ondo State alone responsible for 35 per cent.
The report also showed that confirmed cases increased from four in Week 39 to 13 in Week 40, all recorded in Ondo.
The NCDC said the most affected age group was between 21 and 30 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8, and noted that no new infections among healthcare workers were reported during the week.
It attributed the rising fatality rate to late presentation of cases and poor health-seeking behaviour in affected communities. Other contributing factors, the agency said, include poor environmental sanitation and low public awareness about prevention.
To strengthen response efforts, the NCDC said it had deployed 10 national rapid response teams to the affected states, adopting a One Health approach.
It added that healthcare worker training, risk communication campaigns, and the distribution of critical response commodities such as Ribavirin, PPEs, and thermometers were ongoing.
The agency also highlighted interventions like the INTEGRATE clinical trial in Ondo State, capacity-building workshops for clinicians, and environmental health campaigns in high-burden states.
The NCDC urged state governments to intensify community engagement, strengthen early case detection, and ensure timely referral of suspected cases.
It also called on healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion and initiate prompt treatment to curb deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lassa fever, a viral haemorrhagic illness endemic to Nigeria, is primarily transmitted through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rats.
The disease can also spread from person to person, particularly in healthcare settings where infection control measures are inadequate.
Symptoms include fever, weakness, vomiting, and bleeding, and in severe cases, it can lead to organ failure.
Nigeria bears the highest global burden of the disease, with most infections reported in Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, and Ebonyi states.
Lassa fever typically peaks during the dry season, between December and April, and carries a high fatality rate, especially among patients who seek treatment late.
