The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported a drop in Lassa fever cases, but warned that the disease’s fatality rate is still high.
In its Monday report, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) noted that suspected and confirmed Lassa fever cases have dropped compared to the same period in 2024.
However, the case fatality rate remains high, with 145 deaths recorded and a CFR of 18.6 per cent, up from 17.6 per cent last year. While the decline in cases is encouraging, health experts remain concerned about the persistently high death rate.
According to the NCDC, Lassa fever cases dropped from 11 in week 29 to three in week 30, with the latest infections reported in Edo and Ondo States.
Since the start of 2025, the country has recorded 825 confirmed cases and 155 deaths across 21 states and 105 local government areas. The report revealed that 89 per cent of confirmed cases were concentrated in five states: Ondo (32 per cent), Bauchi (23 per cent), Edo (17 per cent), Taraba (14 per cent), and Ebonyi (three per cent).
The centre said that the most affected age group was between 21 and 30 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8.
The NCDC stated that although suspected and confirmed Lassa fever cases have declined compared to last year, several challenges remain. These include late presentation at healthcare facilities, high treatment costs, poor environmental sanitation, and low public awareness in high-burden communities.
For the week under review, response efforts included clinical management training, public risk communication campaigns, rodent control initiatives, distribution of thermometers for contact monitoring, and the deployment of rapid response teams to affected states.
The NCDC urged Nigerians to adopt preventive measures such as proper food storage, environmental hygiene, and early medical consultation to reduce the spread and severity of the disease.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted primarily through contact with the urine or faeces of infected rats.
It can also spread from person to person through bodily fluids, contaminated objects, or infected medical equipment.
Symptoms include fever, sore throat, headache, vomiting, muscle pain, and, in severe cases, bleeding from the body openings.