By Uche Onyeali
Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has revealed that 118 deaths have been recorded in the first quarter of 2025, with at least 20 health workers infected as Nigeria battles a worsening Lassa fever outbreak.
The centre made the revelation on a post via its official website yesterday.
NCDC disclosed that between January and March this year, 3,465 suspected cases were reported across 91 local government areas in 33 states, with 645 cases confirmed.
It said the Case Fatality Rate, CFR, stood at 18.3 percent, highlighting the severity of the outbreak.
The agency said the infection of frontline healthcare workers remain a major concern, with Ondo State reporting the highest number of eight cases, followed by Bauchi with four, Taraba (two), Gombe (two), and one case each in Edo, Ebonyi, Benue, and Ogun States.
In response, NCDC said it had deployed Rapid Response Teams to 10 high-burden states of Kogi, Plateau, Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Taraba, Benue, Gombe, and Nasarawa, to support local outbreak management efforts.
It said due to the evolving nature of the outbreak, teams in Edo and Taraba had their deployments extended by additional 10 and seven days, respectively.
The agency also said it had equally activated the Lassa Fever National Emergency Operations Centre, LF-EOC, at Response Level 2 to enhance coordination among federal and state authorities, local government areas and development partners.
In addition, the agency said it had distributed essential medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and treatment medications to the affected states.
“Despite these measures, several challenges are hampering response efforts: the public health agency said they were delayed case detection due to weak community-level surveillance,” the statement said.
It listed some of the challenges as limited resources for treatment, contact tracing, active case search, manpower shortages at treatment centres and also late presentation of cases, as many patients resorted to self-medication or traditional remedies before seeking hospital care.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris urged state governments to provide financial support for Lassa fever treatment and urged the private sector to contribute by supplying medical resources and supporting public health awareness campaigns.
Idris stated that while NCDC and state governments are leading response efforts, the fight against Lassa fever require collective action from all Nigerians.
He also advised healthcare workers to strictly adhere to infection, prevention and control measures to protect themselves while treating suspected cases.
“With the outbreak continuing to spread, authorities are racing against time to contain the virus and reduce fatalities in the coming months,” he said.
