Lassa Fever: Nigeria confirmed 143 deaths, 758 cases

The Nigerian Disease Control and Prevention Center (NCDC) on Wednesday confirmed that 143 people had died of Lassa fever in the country this year.

NCDC revealed this in its latest situation report for Epidemiological Week 23, 2-8 June 2025, posted on its official website on Wednesday.

According to the agency, Nigeria has recorded 758 cases of Lassa fever confirmed so far this year.

This was translated into the case of case death (CFR) 18.9 percent, higher than 17.8 percent recorded during the same period in 2024.

NCDC also revealed that 11 new cases confirmed were reported in the week that were being reviewed, up from eight cases recorded the previous week.

New cases were detected in the states of Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, and Taraba.

The report reads: “In 2025, 18 states had recorded at least one case of confirmed Lassa fever, spread across 96 regions of the local government.

“However, 90 percent of all confirmed cases were reported from only five states: Ondo (31%), Bauchi (25%), Edo (16%), Taraba (15%) and Ebonyi (3%).

“The most affected age group remains young adults aged 21 to 30 years, with an average age of 30.”

It also reported a new health care worker infection, so the total number of health workers affected by 2025 to 23.

NCDC identifies several challenges that trigger outbreaks, including late case presentations, poor health seeking behavior, high maintenance costs, inadequate sanitation, and low -conscious awareness in affected communities.