Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said Lassa fever is surging again across Nigeria, with the confirming a higher death rate and more infections despite ongoing public health interventions.
In its latest Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 22 (May 26 to June 1), today, the NCDC said eight new confirmed cases were recorded in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, and Nasarawa states, representing a slight rise from six cases reported in the previous week.
It said that so far in 2025, Nigeria has reported 747 confirmed cases and 142 deaths, marking a case fatality rate of 19.0 per cent a concerning increase from 18.1 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.
The disease has now spread across 18 states and 96 local government areas (LGAs), with five states Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi—accounting for a staggering 91% of all confirmed infections.
Although the agency said there were no new infections among healthcare workers in the reporting week and no probable cases, challenges persist.