The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 67 confirmed yellow fever cases and 18 deaths across Nigeria and eight other African countries within the first nine months of 2026.
The figures, covering January 1 to October 12, were contained in the organisation’s latest situation report released on Friday.
The affected countries are Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Togo.
According to WHO, the most recent outbreak activities have been reported in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia, particularly in areas bordering other countries.
The agency identified activities around forests, mining locations and other outdoor environments as factors that could expose people to the virus.
It also raised concerns about movement across national borders, the presence of mosquitoes capable of spreading the infection and inadequate vaccination coverage in some communities.
WHO said affected countries were working alongside its teams and other partners to strengthen disease monitoring, investigate suspected infections, conduct laboratory examinations and improve the identification of new cases.
“Other response measures include risk communication, community engagement and vaccination activities targeting affected communities and areas considered at increased risk of infection,” it said.
The organisation said its assessment of the regional health threat posed by the outbreaks stood at moderate as of October 27, 2026.
However, WHO maintained that the risk to global public health remained low.
