Nigeria is facing a worsening Lassa fever situation, reporting 237 deaths out of 1,000 confirmed cases so far in 2026. This data, released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) for epidemiological week 30, shows the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) has jumped to 23.7 per cent, significantly higher than the 18.8 per cent reported during the same window in 2025.
While the number of new weekly cases slightly decreased from 20 to 17, the total death toll continues to rise. Infections have spread across 116 Local Government Areas in 23 states. Notably, 86 per cent of all cases are concentrated in five states: Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo, and Benue. Ondo currently leads with 32 per cent of total cases.
The NCDC attributes the high mortality rate to delayed medical attention, the high cost of treatment, and poor health-seeking habits. Other contributors include inadequate environmental sanitation and ongoing risks to medical staff, with one additional healthcare worker infected recently. The most affected demographic consists of young adults between 21 and 30 years old.
To combat the outbreak, the NCDC has deployed rapid response teams to seven states and launched a 30-day protection plan for frontline health workers. The agency is emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis, rigorous infection control in hospitals, and year-round community engagement to curb the spread of the virus, which is primarily transmitted through contact with rodent waste.
