By Blessing Otobong-Gabriel
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has reported 214 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 39 deaths this year.
In its latest Lassa fever report yesterday, NCDC said there were 71 new cases of the disease from January 13 – 19.
States where these cases were reported include Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, Plateau, Ebonyi, Gombe, Nasarawa, Delta and Kogi.
“Cumulatively in week 3, 2025, 39 deaths have been reported with a Case Fatality Rate, CFR, of 18.2 percent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2024 (20.4 percent).
“In total for 2025, 10 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 43 local government areas.
“77 percent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from three states (Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi) while 23 percent were reported from seven states with confirmed Lassa fever cases.
“Of the 77 percent confirmed cases, Ondo reported 38 percent, Edo 22 percent and Bauchi 17 percent.
“The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: three to 94 years, Median Age: 30 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.8.
“The number of suspected cases increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2024.
“National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System, IMS, has been activated to coordinate response activities at all levels,” the report read.
