The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported the deaths of 150 individuals from Lassa fever between January and March 2024, spanning across 125 local government areas in 27 states of the federation.
From week one to week 13 of 2024, the NCDC stated that these deaths were documented with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.6 percent, exceeding the CFR recorded for the same period in 2023 (17.5 percent).
In its Lassa Fever Situation Report Epi Week 13 for March 25–31, 2024, the agency disclosed that out of 5,295 suspected cases reported, 806 were confirmed. During week 13, the number of newly confirmed cases decreased from 25 in Epi week 12, 2024 to 15, reported across Ondo, Bauchi, Plateau, and Edo states.
Throughout 2024, 27 states have documented at least one confirmed case, spanning 125 LGAs, with 62 percent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases originating from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states, while the remaining 38 percent were reported from 24 states.
Ondo reported 24 percent of the confirmed cases, Edo 22 percent, and Bauchi 16 percent. The age group most affected is 31-40 years (with a range of 1 to 98 years and a median age of 32 years), with an equal male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases.
The number of suspected cases (5,295) has increased compared to the same period in 2023 (4,338), as stated in the report.
The NCDC confirmed the activation of the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System to coordinate response efforts at all levels through the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
The report also noted that no new healthcare workers were affected during reporting week 13.