NCDC records 259 Lassa fever deaths, 1,104 confirmed cases in 2026

Nigeria has recorded 1,104 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 259 deaths across 24 states and 119 Local Government Areas (LGAs) between epidemiological week one and week 37 of 2026, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The figures, contained in the NCDC Lassa Fever Situation Report for epidemiological week 37, covering September 7 to 13, 2026, showed a case fatality rate (CFR) of 23.5 per cent, higher than the 18.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

The report said 8,098 suspected cases had been recorded so far in 2026, alongside six probable cases and 259 deaths among confirmed cases.

It added that 17 new confirmed cases were reported during week 37, up from 12 cases recorded in the preceding epidemiological week, with the new cases reported in Ondo and Taraba states.

According to the agency, 88 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases in 2026 were reported from five states — Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue.

Ondo accounted for 35 per cent of the confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi with 24 per cent, Taraba 12 per cent, Edo 11 per cent and Benue six per cent, while the remaining 12 per cent were reported from 18 other states.

The NCDC said the age group most affected was 21 to 30 years, with confirmed cases ranging from one to 93 years and a median age of 30 years.

It reported a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.9 among confirmed cases, while no new healthcare worker infection was recorded during the reporting week.

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The agency said 54 healthcare workers had been affected cumulatively in 2026, while 845 cases had been managed at treatment centres.

On contact tracing, the NCDC said 2,037 contacts had been listed cumulatively, with 132 still under follow-up and 1,902 having completed follow-up. It added that 110 contacts had developed symptoms, with 49 testing positive.

The agency said its response to the outbreak had included strengthening surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, laboratory diagnosis, risk communication and community engagement across affected states.

It said it had deployed National Rapid Response Teams to seven high-burden states, prepositioned personal protective equipment and supplied infection prevention and control commodities and drugs to treatment facilities.

The NCDC also said it had developed a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan aimed at reducing infections among frontline health workers in endemic states, with support from the World Health Organisation and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other measures included training frontline healthcare workers, supporting active case searches and contact tracing, strengthening state infection prevention and control programmes, conducting risk assessments and disseminating updated guidelines and standard operating procedures.

The agency said it had also activated incident management systems in Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Kano and Gombe states, while supporting integrated case management training in Taraba State.

However, the NCDC identified late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour linked to the high cost of treatment and clinical management, poor environmental sanitation, low awareness in high-burden communities and healthcare worker infections as major challenges.

It urged states to intensify year-round community engagement on Lassa fever prevention, while advising healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, ensure timely referral and treatment, and adhere strictly to standard infection prevention and control procedures.

The NCDC also called for stronger state capacity to prevent, detect and respond promptly to Lassa fever outbreaks.