The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 80 deaths from 413 confirmed cases of Lassa fever across 11 states between February 3 and 9, 2025.
The agency, in an update on its website on Monday, revealed that the case fatality rate (CFR) had climbed to 19.4 per cent, compared to 17.5 per cent during the same period last year.
The latest data indicates that the majority of the cases—73%—are concentrated in Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states.
Ondo is the most affected, accounting for 34% of the cases, followed by Edo at 21% and Bauchi at 18%.
A total of 63 local government areas in these states have reported confirmed cases.
While the number of new cases decreased from 68 in week 5 to 54 in week 6, the NCDC expressed concern over the high fatality rate.
The majority of the cases are among people aged 21 to 30, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8.
Although there have been no new infections among healthcare workers this week, delays in seeking medical help are thought to be contributing to the rising death toll.
To combat the outbreak, the NCDC activated the National Lassa Fever Multi-Sectoral Incident Management System (IMS), coordinating efforts to tackle the crisis.
Key measures include deploying National Rapid Response Teams (NRRT) to affected areas, training healthcare workers in Lassa fever management, and distributing essential medical supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and ribavirin.
The NCDC is working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE) to improve diagnostic and treatment efforts.
Nigerians are encouraged to take preventive steps, such as maintaining hygiene, avoiding contact with rodent droppings, and seeking early medical care if symptoms like fever or unexplained bleeding appear.
The NCDC is also planning a nationwide rodent control and awareness campaign in collaboration with Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N) and urged the public to follow safety guidelines by visiting their website or calling the toll-free line for updates.
