Lagos raises the alarm over Lassa fever epidemic

Lagos state has launched a state-wide campaign against Lassa fever as Nigeria battles one of the worst outbreaks in years, with over 660 confirmed cases and 167 deaths recorded between January and mid-March 2026.

State Health Commissioner Professor Akin Abayomi, who raised the alarm on Saturday, said the outbreak had spread to 22 states and 93 local government areas, describing it as “a serious national health problem” that requires urgent and coordinated action at both the federal and state levels.

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A particularly worrying dimension of the crisis, he said, is the infection of frontline health workers. Since the beginning of the year, at least 38 healthcare workers have contracted the disease and three doctors have died.

“When a disease starts killing frontline workers, that is a serious warning sign,” Abayomi said, stressing the need for rigorous infection prevention protocols and rapid response systems.

Lassa fever is a zoonotic viral disease transmitted primarily from rodents and bushmeat to humans and subsequently spreads from person to person, often appearing as a hemorrhagic disease causing fever and internal bleeding.

Although Lagos is not classified as an endemic state and typically records only a few imported cases each year, Abayomi warned that its status as a densely populated commercial hub significantly increases the risk of transmission.

“Every day, thousands of people enter and exit Lagos by road and air. In a megacity like ours, infectious diseases can spread very quickly if not contained early, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

The commissioner noted that unlike previous years, when Lassa fever followed seasonal peaks, emerging evidence points to year-round transmission, driven in part by increased human contact with rodent ponds and environmental changes. He added that about 70% of infected people show mild or no symptoms but remain contagious, posing a risk of silent transmission in densely populated areas.

About one in five symptomatic patients, he said, develop serious complications that can lead to death, particularly where diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Abayomi classified Lassa fever along with Ebola and Marburg virus disease as “high-risk pathogens” capable of overwhelming health systems if not properly managed.

He attributed the rising incidence of such diseases to climate change, deforestation and ecological disruption, which are pushing rodents closer to human settlements while pushing humans deeper into natural habitats.

To strengthen its response, Lagos State activated a 24-hour emergency operations center, strengthened surveillance systems, implemented digital health tools and intensified training of health workers on biosafety and infection prevention.

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