Nigeria Centre for Disease has reported a concerning rise in Lassa fever infections, with 138 people confirmed dead from the disease between January and May 4, 2025. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) noted this in its latest situation update shared on Wednesday via its official website.
According to the report, a total of 717 cases of Lassa fever have been confirmed from a pool of 4,881 suspected infections. These confirmed cases were detected across 18 states and 93 local government areas throughout the country.
The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) currently stands at 19.3 percent, which the NCDC notes is slightly higher than the rate recorded during the same period in 2024, which was 18.0 percent. Health experts are monitoring the situation closely as the virus continues to spread, with a noticeable number of deaths reported in several regions.
The states that have suffered the highest number of fatalities include Taraba with 34 deaths, Ondo with 27, and Edo with 19. Other states affected include Bauchi (15), Ebonyi (11), Gombe (seven), Plateau (five), Benue (five), Kogi (four), Nasarawa (four), Delta (two), Kaduna (two), Enugu (one), Cross River (one), and Ogun (one).
Lassa fever is a serious viral infection that belongs to the same group of illnesses as Ebola. It is caused by the Lassa virus and typically spreads through contact with food or household items contaminated with urine or feces from infected rats. The main host of the virus is the multimammate rat, a common rodent found in many parts of West Africa.
The NCDC noted in the report, “In week 18, the number of new confirmed cases decreased from 11 in epi week 17, of 2025, to 10. These were reported in Ondo, Edo, Bauchi and Benue States.”
