Saturday, May 30, 2026 - Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that 204 people have died from Lassa fever in 2026, warning that delayed hospital visits, poor health-seeking behaviour and rising infections among healthcare workers are worsening the outbreak.
According to the agency’s latest Epidemiological Week 19
report, the disease’s case fatality rate has climbed to 25.7 per cent, compared
to 19.4 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.
Although confirmed infections dropped slightly from 22 cases
in Week 18 to 17 in Week 19, the outbreak remains active across 23 states and
108 local government areas nationwide. The latest confirmed cases were reported
in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi, Taraba and Nasarawa states.
The NCDC said five states, Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo and
Benue, account for 84 per cent of all confirmed infections recorded this year.
“Of the 84 per cent confirmed cases, Bauchi and Ondo each contributed 26 per
cent, Taraba 16 per cent, Edo 9 per cent and Benue 7 per cent,” the agency
stated. The report showed that young adults aged between 21 and 30 years remain
the most affected group, although patients recorded so far range from one to 90
years old.
Health authorities also confirmed that one healthcare worker
was infected during the reporting week, raising concerns about occupational
exposure among frontline medical staff. In response to the outbreak, the NCDC
said it has activated a national multi-sectoral Incident Management System to
coordinate interventions across affected states.
The agency said emergency measures currently underway
include infection prevention training for health workers, rapid response
deployments, active case searches, contact tracing, public awareness campaigns
and distribution of protective equipment to health facilities.
The response is being supported by organisations including
the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, the United
States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ALIMA. Part of the
intervention includes a newly introduced 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection
Plan aimed at reducing infections among medical personnel in high-risk states.
The NCDC blamed several factors for the worsening outbreak,
including late presentation at hospitals, poor environmental sanitation, low
public awareness and the high cost of treatment. “Poor health-seeking behaviour
due to the high cost of treatment and clinical management of Lassa fever
remains a serious concern,” the agency warned.
The agency urged healthcare workers to maintain strict
infection prevention measures and encouraged state governments to sustain
public sensitisation campaigns and strengthen surveillance systems to contain
the disease.
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