Lassa fever has claimed 195 lives across 21 states in Nigeria in 2025, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), sparking renewed calls for early treatment and stronger community awareness.
The NCDC disclosed this in its latest Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 49, covering December 1 to 7, 2025, released on Sunday via its official platform.
The agency reported that within the one-week period, 33 new confirmed cases and eight deaths were recorded, an increase from the 24 confirmed cases documented in Epidemiological Week 48.
The new infections were reported in Bauchi, Ondo, Edo and Taraba states, as part of the country’s ongoing disease surveillance.
“Cumulatively as at week 49 of 2025, Nigeria has recorded 9,041 suspected cases, 1,069 confirmed cases, seven probable cases and 195 deaths,” the NCDC stated.
The agency noted that the case fatality rate (CFR) stood at 18.2 per cent, higher than the 16.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024, when 190 deaths were reported nationwide.
According to the report, 89 per cent of all confirmed cases came from just four states — Ondo (36 per cent), Edo (24 per cent), Bauchi (12 per cent) and Taraba (12 per cent) — highlighting persistent hotspots.
Overall, 21 states and 103 Local Government Areas recorded at least one confirmed case in 2025, a reduction from 28 states and 137 LGAs affected within the same timeframe in 2024.
Despite the drop in spread, the NCDC warned that fatalities remain high.
“Although suspected and confirmed cases declined compared to 2024, deaths remain high largely due to late presentation of cases and poor health-seeking behaviour,” the report noted.
Young adults aged 21 to 30 years were identified as the most affected group, with patients ranging from one to 96 years, and a median age of 30. The male-to-female ratio stood at 1:0.8.
On a positive note, the agency confirmed that no healthcare worker was infected during the reporting week, even though 24 healthcare workers have been affected cumulatively in 2025.
The NCDC said the National Lassa Fever Multi-sectoral Technical Working Group continues to coordinate the national response, with support from partners such as WHO, UNICEF, US CDC, CEPI and others.
Response efforts during the week included deployment of National Rapid Response Teams to 10 states, intensified infection prevention and control measures, clinician training, After Action Reviews and commencement of the INTEGRATE trial.
Other interventions involved community risk communication, environmental sanitation campaigns, distribution of Ribavirin, personal protective equipment, IEC materials, and the launch of the NCDC’s infection prevention and control e-learning platform.
However, the agency identified ongoing challenges, including late case presentation, high treatment costs, poor sanitation and low awareness in high-burden communities.
The NCDC urged states to sustain year-round public sensitisation on Lassa fever prevention, while advising healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion and ensure early referral and treatment of suspected cases.
It also called on partners to strengthen state-level capacity for early detection and rapid response, to reduce transmission and mortality.
Lassa fever, first identified in Nigeria in the late 1960s, remains endemic in West Africa. The rodent-borne disease can cause severe complications such as bleeding, deafness and death, particularly where sanitation is poor and medical care is delayed.
