Lassa fever in Nigeria: five states account for 90% of confirmed cases

Five states (Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, Ebonyi) account for 90% of all confirmed cases of Lassa fever in Nigeria since the start of the year. The data is contained in the last epidemiological report of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). The report confirmed 739 Lassa fever cases in the country and 141 deaths, with a slight increase in the case-fatality ratio (CFR) compared to the same period in 2024. So far, 18 states across 95 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have reported at least one case, compared to 28 states and 125 LGAs during the same period last year. The states with the most cases are Ondo (224), Bauchi (185), Edo (121), Taraba (116), and Ebonyi (21). Those with the most deaths are again the same five.
According to the NCDC, the disease predominantly affects individuals between 21 and 30, with a male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases of 1 to 0.8. The agency confirmed that a national Incident Management System (IMS) remains active to coordinate ongoing response efforts across the country.  However, several challenges continue to hamper this response, including the late report of cases, poor environmental sanitation, and lack of public awareness about Lassa fever and its symptoms.