Lassa Fever Deaths in Nigeria Rise to 51 After 15 Killed in Early February – NCDC

Lassa Fever Deaths in Nigeria Rise to 51 After 15 Killed in Early February – NCDC

Nigeria is facing a rising Lassa fever outbreak in 2026, with 15 deaths recorded in the first week of February, pushing the total fatalities from confirmed cases to 51 between the first and sixth epidemiological weeks, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported. This reflects the continued severity of the viral haemorrhagic disease. The 15 deaths reported between February 2 and 8 translate to a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 21.3 per cent, higher than the 19.4 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025, despite a decline in overall suspected cases compared to last year.

Two healthcare workers were also infected in week six of the outbreak, highlighting the ongoing risks faced by frontline responders. Cumulative data for 2026 show 1,034 suspected cases, 240 confirmed cases, and four probable cases, spread across 10 states and 42 Local Government Areas (LGAs). For comparison, during the same period in 2025, Nigeria recorded 1,913 suspected cases, 413 confirmed infections, and 80 deaths across 11 states and 63 LGAs, showing a reduction in suspected cases but persistence of high fatality rates.

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In the latest reporting week alone, 15 deaths occurred from 74 confirmed infections out of 271 suspected cases, resulting in a weekly CFR of 20.3 per cent. Confirmed cases increased from 44 in epidemiological week 5 to 74 in week 6, indicating a week-on-week rise in infections. The new confirmed cases were reported across eight states — Taraba, Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Ebonyi — affecting 24 LGAs.

Data analysis shows that 89 per cent of confirmed infections in 2026 are concentrated in four high-burden states: Bauchi (38%), Taraba (22%), Ondo (20%), and Edo (9%), while the remaining 11 per cent of cases were reported from six other states. The outbreak predominantly affects people aged 21 to 30 years, although cases range from 1 to 74 years, with a median age of 29 years. The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases stands at approximately 1:0.7.

To manage the outbreak, the NCDC has activated the National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Incident Management System (IMS) to coordinate surveillance, case management, laboratory support, and risk communication across affected states. The agency has urged citizens to adopt preventive measures such as improving sanitation and hygiene, practicing rodent control, ensuring early presentation of suspected cases at health facilities, and cooperating with public health authorities. The NCDC emphasised that timely intervention, early treatment with Ribavirin, and community awareness are critical to reducing fatalities and containing the outbreak.

Lassa Fever Deaths in Nigeria Rise to 51 After 15 Killed in Early February – NCDC