Korede Abdullah 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Lassa fever cases in Nigeria are rising again, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirming 66 new infections and seven deaths over three consecutive epidemiological weeks.
The latest situation reports, released on Friday, show that the infections were recorded between Epidemiological Weeks 24 and 26, while the outbreak has spread across 23 states and 111 local government areas.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue states account for 85 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases reported this year.
The reports indicate a steady increase in infections during the review period.
In Week 24, the agency recorded 149 suspected cases, 13 confirmed infections and two deaths. Week 25 saw 150 suspected cases, 22 confirmed infections and three deaths, while Week 26 recorded 205 suspected cases, 31 confirmed infections and two deaths.
Altogether, the three-week period produced 504 suspected cases, 66 confirmed infections and seven deaths.
By the end of Week 24, Nigeria had recorded a cumulative 5,801 suspected cases, 868 confirmed infections and 216 deaths, representing a 24.9 per cent case fatality rate, compared with 18.9 per cent during the corresponding period in 2025.
The NCDC attributed the high fatality rate to delayed hospital presentation, poor healthcare-seeking behaviour, treatment costs, poor environmental sanitation, low public awareness and infections among healthcare workers.
The agency also confirmed that one healthcare worker contracted Lassa fever during Week 24, underscoring the occupational risks facing frontline medical personnel.
Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted primarily through exposure to the urine or faeces of infected multimammate rats or contaminated food and household items. Human-to-human transmission can also occur through contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons.
About the Author
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
