There have now been 811 confirmed cases of Lassa fever nationwide, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirming 11 more cases in three states. These new cases were found in Ondo, Edo, and Benue States, according to the NCDC’s status report for epidemiological week 28 released on Monday.
In all, 152 Lassa fever-related deaths have been reported in Nigeria thus far in 2025, corresponding to a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.7%. The 17.3% CFR recorded over the same time period in 2024 is lower than this.
At least one verified case has been reported so far this year in 105 local government districts spread across 21 states. Notably, 89% of all reported illnesses occur in five states: Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi.
32 percent of the cases were from Ondo alone, with Bauchi coming in second with 23 percent, Edo with 17 percent, Taraba with 14 percent, and Ebonyi with 3 percent. With a median age of 30 and a male-to-female case ratio of 1:0.8, the survey also revealed that the age group most afflicted is 21–30 years old.
In contrast to the same time last year, there was an overall decrease in both suspected and confirmed cases, notwithstanding the recent instances.
In order to stop the disease’s spread, the national Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group (TWG) is still coordinating response efforts at all levels, according to NCDC. Lassa fever in Nigeria is prevalent and is mostly spread by coming into touch with food or household objects tainted with rat feces or urine.
