Nigeria has recorded 168 deaths from Lassa fever in the last nine months, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed, warning that the current death rate is higher than the same period in 2024.
An update of the outbreak released by NCDC reveals that cumulatively as at week 38 (15 – 21 September), 168 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.5 per cent, which is higher than the 16.9 per cent CFR recorded the same period in 2024.
Though, the number of new confirmed cases in week 38 is the same as in week 37 of 2025. The new cases were reported in Ondo, Edo and Taraba states. Also, the number of suspected and confirmed cases decreased compared to that reported for the same period in 2024.
According to the Centre, 21 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 106 Local Government Areas this year.
Five states account for 90% cases
The NCDC report shows that five states including Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi accounted for 90 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases, while the other 16 affected states shared the remaining 10 per cent. Of the 90 per cent confirmed cases, Ondo led with 33 per cent, followed by Bauchi with 23 percent, Edo 18 percent, Taraba 13 per cent, and Ebonyi 3 per cent.
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According to the NCDC, the most affected age group is 21–30 years, while no new healthcare worker was infected in epidemiological week 38.
About Lassa fever
The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes Lassa fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus which can infect humans through exposure to food or household items that are contaminated with urine or faeces of infected rats.
Additionally, person-to-person transmission can occur especially in health care settings lacking adequate infection prevention and control measures.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about eight in 10 people who are infected with Lassa fever have mild symptoms and are not diagnosed. Mild symptoms include: slight fever, feeling tired and weak, and headache while in some people, the disease may cause more serious symptoms like bleeding, difficulty breathing, vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back, and abdomen and shock.
According to the Centre, signs and symptoms of Lassa fever typically occur one to three weeks after a person is infected.
Lassa fever can also lead to hearing loss, as one out of three cases experiences various levels of deafness, which can occur in both mild and severe cases. For infected pregnant women, there is a high risk of miscarriage as about 95 per cent of fetuses do not survive.