Nigeria has recorded 204 deaths from Lassa fever in 2026, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) warning that delayed hospital visits, poor health-seeking behaviour and increasing infections among healthcare workers are complicating efforts to contain the outbreak.
The agency disclosed this in its Epidemiological Week 19 report, which showed that the disease’s case fatality rate has risen to 25.7 per cent, compared to 19.4 per cent during the corresponding period in 2025.
Although confirmed cases declined slightly from 22 in Week 18 to 17 in Week 19, the outbreak remains active in 23 states and 108 local government areas across the country. The latest infections were reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi, Taraba and Nasarawa states.
According to the NCDC, five states—Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo and Benue—account for 84 per cent of all confirmed cases recorded so far this year.
“Of the 84 per cent confirmed cases, Bauchi and Ondo each contributed 26 per cent, Taraba 16 per cent, Edo 9 per cent and Benue 7 per cent,” the agency stated.
The report indicated that young adults aged between 21 and 30 years remain the most affected demographic, although cases have been recorded among individuals ranging from one to 90 years old.
The NCDC also confirmed that a healthcare worker contracted the disease during the reporting week, heightening concerns over occupational exposure among frontline medical personnel.
In response, the agency said it has activated a national multi-sectoral Incident Management System to coordinate control measures in affected states.
Ongoing interventions include infection prevention and control training for healthcare workers, rapid response deployments, active case searches, contact tracing, public awareness campaigns and the distribution of protective equipment to health facilities.
The response effort is being supported by several partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) and ALIMA.
As part of its strategy to protect frontline workers, the NCDC has also introduced a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan aimed at reducing infections among medical personnel in high-risk states.
The agency attributed the continued spread of the disease to several factors, including delayed presentation at health facilities, poor environmental sanitation, inadequate public awareness and the high cost of treatment.
“Poor health-seeking behaviour due to the high cost of treatment and clinical management of Lassa fever remains a serious concern,” the report noted.
The NCDC urged healthcare workers to adhere strictly to infection prevention and control measures while calling on state governments to intensify public sensitisation campaigns and strengthen disease surveillance systems to curb the outbreak.
