Lassa Fever Outbreak Worsens in Nigeria as Fatalities Climb to 221

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LASSA FEVER

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says Nigeria recorded an increase in confirmed Lassa fever cases during epidemiological week 26 of 2026, with 31 new infections reported, up from 22 the previous week.

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The new confirmed cases were recorded in Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba and Benue states, according to the latest NCDC Lassa fever situation report released by the public health agency on Friday.

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The report showed that 221 deaths have been recorded cumulatively in 2026, with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 24.0 per cent, higher than the 18.7 per cent reported in 2025.

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It stated that 23 states had reported at least one confirmed Lassa fever case across 111 Local Government Areas, indicating the continued geographic spread of the disease nationwide in 2026.

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According to the report, 85 per cent of all confirmed cases originated from Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue states, while the remaining 15 per cent were reported elsewhere.

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The report said Ondo accounted for the highest proportion of confirmed cases at 30 per cent, followed by Bauchi with 26 per cent, Taraba with 14 per cent, Edo with nine per cent, and Benue.

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It revealed that people aged between 21 and 30 years remained the most affected group, although confirmed cases ranged from one to 93 years, with a median age.

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The report also showed that the male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases stood at 1:0.9, suggesting nearly equal infection rates between males and females across affected states.

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Health authorities noted that both suspected and confirmed Lassa fever cases increased compared with the corresponding period in 2025, while one healthcare worker was infected during week 26.

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The report added that the National Lassa Fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System remains activated to coordinate surveillance, case management, risk communication and response activities nationwide.

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