Lassa Fever death toll hits 214 in Nigeria as fatality rate climbs to 25% — NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) has confirmed that Lassa fever has claimed 214 lives in Nigeria, with the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) rising sharply to 25.0 per cent, up from 18.9 per cent recorded in the same period in 2025.

This is contained in the NCDC Lassa Fever Situation Report for Week 23 (June 1 to June 7, 2026).

The agency said both suspected and confirmed cases have increased compared to the previous year, even though new confirmed cases remained steady between Week 22 and Week 23.

According to the report, infections were recorded in Edo, Ondo, Bauchi and Ebonyi States, while no new infections among healthcare workers were reported within the week under review.

The outbreak has now spread across 23 states and 109 Local Government Areas since January 2026.

Five states account for the majority of confirmed cases, contributing about 84 per cent of the total burden. These include:

Ondo State — 28%

Bauchi State — 25%

Taraba State — 15%

Edo State — 10%

Benue State — 6%

The remaining 16 per cent of cases are distributed across 18 other states with confirmed infections.

The NCDC also noted that young adults remain the most affected demographic, with the highest number of cases recorded among people aged 21–30 years. Patients range in age from one to 93 years, with a median age of 30.

To coordinate response efforts, the agency said the National Lassa fever multi-partner Incident Management System (IMS) remains active at federal, state, and local government levels, supporting surveillance, treatment, and containment operations.

While no new healthcare worker infections were reported in Week 23, the NCDC warned that the rising fatality rate and expanding geographic spread indicate ongoing transmission pressure across affected regions.

Surveillance and case management activities, it added, are continuing across all 23 impacted states as health authorities intensify response measures to curb further spread.