Abuja — No fewer than 17 people have died from Lassa fever across eight states in Nigeria within the first three weeks of 2026, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
In its Week Three Epidemiological Report released on Thursday, the NCDC disclosed that 93 confirmed cases were recorded in Bauchi, Taraba, Plateau, Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Benue and Nasarawa states, with Bauchi State accounting for 46 per cent of the infections.
The agency reported that Nigeria’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) currently stands at 18.1 per cent, slightly lower than the 18.2 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.
The report also revealed that four healthcare workers were infected during the third week, underscoring the continued occupational risk faced by frontline medical personnel.
According to the NCDC, 89 per cent of confirmed cases were concentrated in Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba and Edo states, while the remaining 11 per cent were spread across five other states.
Data from the report show that the most affected age group is between 21 and 30 years, with a median age of 27.5 years, and a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.6 among confirmed cases.
To contain the outbreak, the NCDC said the national Lassa fever multi-partner Incident Management System (IMS) has been activated. Ongoing response measures include treatment of confirmed cases, distribution of medical countermeasures such as Ribavirin, and intensified risk communication at the community level.
However, the agency identified persistent challenges including late presentation at health facilities, poor health-seeking behaviour, and environmental sanitation issues. It urged state governments to strengthen community engagement efforts and advised healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion to enable early detection and prompt treatment.
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