The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded some of the highest death cases from Lassa fever in Ondo state. This is as the death toll hits 127 with a Case Fatality Rate of 18.8%.
NCDC revealed this during the latest situation report on Tuesday. Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus and commonly found in parts of West Africa. It spreads mainly through contact with urine or droppings of infected rats, and can also spread between people through bodily fluids.
This illness causes symptoms like fever, weakness, and in severe cases, bleeding, organ failure, and even death.
According to NCDC, it recorded the highest death cases in Taraba (31), followed by Ondo (26). Also, the body recorded 17 deaths in Edo; 12 in Bauchi; 11 in Ebonyi; and seven in Gombe.
Additionally, it documented five cases in Plateau, and four cases each in Kogi, Benue, and Nasarawa. Likewise, Kaduna has two death cases while Enugu, Delta, Cross-River, and Ogun reported only one death case each.
Moreover, people aged 21 to 30 account for most cases, with a median age of 30. Males make up the majority of confirmed cases, with a male-to-female ratio of 1 to 0.8.
According to the report, the Lassa fever cases saw a slight increase in week 14 of 2025, recording 127 deaths and a fatality rate of 18.8%. This is slightly higher than the same period in 2024, with the majority of cases concentrated in a few states.
However, in comparison to the reported cases for the same period 2024, the number of suspected cases decreased. Also, the report on week 14 showed no newly affected healthcare workers.
The report also stated that NCDC has initiated the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System to oversee the response activities across all levels.
