NCDC Reports 109 Lassa Fever Deaths, 23.2% CFR In 2026

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 109 deaths from Lassa fever in the first nine weeks of 2026, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 23.2 per cent — significantly higher than the 18.7 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

Between Week 1 and Week 9 of 2026, Nigeria recorded 2,446 suspected cases of the viral haemorrhagic disease, of which 469 were confirmed and four were classified as probable, according to the NCDC’s Week 9 Epidemiological Report covering February 23 to March 1, 2026. The agency noted that 65 new confirmed cases were recorded in the reporting week, a decline from 77 cases in Week 8.

The NCDC observed that 86 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from five states: Bauchi (28 per cent), Ondo (22 per cent), Taraba (19 per cent), Benue (9 per cent) and Edo (8 per cent). The remaining 14 per cent were reported from 13 other states. Overall, 18 states across 69 local government areas have recorded at least one confirmed case of the disease so far this year.

The predominant age group affected is 21 to 30 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8 among confirmed cases. The NCDC also reported that 37 healthcare workers have been infected in 2026, including six new infections recorded in Week 9 alone.

Discovered in 1969 in Lassa town, present-day Borno State, when a missionary nurse fell ill with a mysterious haemorrhagic disease, Lassa fever has remained endemic in Nigeria and several other West African countries. The disease is transmitted to humans primarily through contact with food or household items contaminated with the urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats, with peak transmission occurring during the dry season between November and April.

The NCDC attributed the sustained transmission and rising fatality rate to several challenges, including late presentation of cases at health facilities, poor health-seeking behaviour driven by the high cost of treatment, and poor environmental sanitation in high-burden communities.

The agency said the national Lassa fever Incident Management System has been activated to coordinate response efforts, with intensified case searches, contact tracing, and deployment of national rapid response teams to seven high-burden states already initiated. Personal protective equipment and other response materials have been distributed to treatment centres, and a targeted infection prevention and control ring strategy was launched in Benue State with support from the World Health Organisation.

In 2025, Nigeria recorded 1,148 confirmed cases out of 9,389 suspected cases, with 215 deaths and a CFR of 18.7 per cent, according to the NCDC’s situation report for Epidemiological Week 52 of that year. Four states  Ondo, Bauchi, Edo and Taraba  accounted for 89 per cent of all confirmed cases nationwide that year.

The NCDC has urged state governments to strengthen year-round community engagement in Lassa fever prevention and advised healthcare workers to maintain a high level of suspicion for the disease, ensure early referral of suspected cases, and strictly adhere to infection prevention and control measures.