LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria has recorded 11 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever, bringing the total number of infections in 2025 to 822, with 155 deaths reported between January 1 and July 20.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the latest figures released on Tuesday, cover epidemiological Week 29 (July 14–20), reflecting a worrying Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.9 per cent—an increase from the 17.1 per cent reported during the same period in 2024. “Cumulatively as at Week 29, 2025, 155 deaths have been reported,” the agency noted.
The NCDC stated that the 11 new infections were recorded in Ondo and Edo states, maintaining the same number of new cases reported in the previous week.
Overall, confirmed cases have been detected across 21 states and 105 local government areas, with Ondo (32 per cent), Bauchi (23 per cent), Edo (17 per cent), Taraba (14 per cent), and Ebonyi (three per cent) accounting for approximately 89 per cent of all confirmed cases.
“In total for 2025, 21 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 105 LGAs,” the report emphasized.
The disease appears to disproportionately affect young adults aged 21–30, although cases range from ages 1 to 96. The NCDC noted a slight gender imbalance with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8.
Encouragingly, the report confirmed, “No new healthcare worker was affected in the reporting week 29,” and it added that both suspected and confirmed cases have declined when compared to the same timeframe in 2024.
