Chukwu Obinna 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Six frontline health workers in Nigeria contract Lassa fever within a single week as the country records 65 confirmed infections between 23 February and 1 March, health authorities say.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reports the infections in its latest epidemiological bulletin released on Monday.
The new cases raise concerns about occupational risks facing medical personnel. The infections bring the total number of health workers infected this year to 37.
Nine deaths are recorded during the reporting week, resulting in a case fatality rate of 13.9 percent.
Seven states — Benue State, Ondo State, Bauchi State, Taraba State, Edo State, Plateau State and Nasarawa State — report confirmed infections.
Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo account for 86 percent of the cases recorded nationwide.
Health authorities say 460 suspected infections are logged during the same period. Since January, 18 states and 69 local government areas have reported at least one confirmed case.
Nigeria has recorded 2,446 suspected cases, 469 confirmed infections and 109 deaths so far in 2026. The national case fatality rate stands at 23.2 percent — significantly higher than the 18.7 percent reported during the same period in 2025.
The NCDC attributes the rising mortality to late hospital visits, low public awareness and poor health-seeking behaviour in affected communities.
The agency says it has activated a national incident management system and deployed rapid response teams to affected states, alongside contact tracing operations and the distribution of protective equipment to hospitals.
Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria and spreads primarily through contact with excreta from infected rodents.
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