Nigeria has recorded 1,035 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 252 deaths across 23 states and 117 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the first 33 epidemiological weeks of 2026, with the fatality rate rising to 24.4 per cent.
The latest Lassa Fever Situation Report of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), covering August 10 to 16, showed that the country recorded 14 new confirmed cases and two deaths during epidemiological week 33.
The 2026 cumulative figures represent an increase from the 854 confirmed cases and 159 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025, when the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) stood at 18.6 per cent.
According to the report, the 14 new confirmed cases recorded in week 33 were reported in Ondo, Edo, Bauchi and Benue States, representing a sharp rise from the four cases recorded in epidemiological week 32.
The NCDC said five states accounted for the overwhelming majority of confirmed infections in the country, with 87 per cent of all confirmed cases reported from Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue states.
Ondo State accounted for 33 per cent of the cases, followed by Bauchi with 25 per cent, Taraba 13 per cent, Edo 10 per cent and Benue six per cent. The remaining 13 per cent of cases were reported across 18 other states.
The report further indicated that people aged 21 to 30 years constituted the predominant age group affected, although confirmed cases ranged from one to 93 years, with a median age of 30 years. The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases was 1:0.9.
The NCDC also disclosed that 54 healthcare workers have been affected by Lassa fever in 2026, although no new healthcare worker infection was recorded during week 33.
It said 12 patients were being managed at treatment centres during the reporting week, bringing the cumulative number of cases managed at treatment centres in 2026 to 783.
On contact tracing, the report said 2,007 contacts had been listed cumulatively, with 168 still under follow-up. A total of 1,836 contacts had completed follow-up, while 110 symptomatic contacts had been identified and 49 tested positive.
The NCDC said it had intensified interventions to contain the outbreak, including training healthcare workers, strengthening infection prevention and control measures, supporting active case search and contact tracing, and pre-positioning personal protective equipment and other supplies in health facilities.
It also said a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan had been developed to reduce infections among frontline health workers in endemic states, with support from the World Health Organisation and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency said National Rapid Response Teams had also been deployed across seven high-burden states, while Incident Management Systems for Lassa fever had been activated in Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Kano and Gombe states.
However, the NCDC identified late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour linked to the high cost of treatment, poor environmental sanitation, low awareness in high-burden communities and healthcare worker infections as major challenges to controlling the disease.
The agency urged states to sustain community engagement on Lassa fever prevention throughout the year, while advising healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, make timely referrals and commence treatment promptly, alongside strict adherence to infection prevention and control procedures.
The NCDC further called for stronger state capacity to prevent, detect and respond promptly to Lassa fever outbreaks.
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