Nigeria records 268 Lassa fever deaths as fatality rate rises to 23.6% – NCDC
The figures highlight the continued burden of the disease despite a sharp decline in newly confirmed infections in the latest reporting week The post Nigeria records 268 Lassa fever deaths as fatality rate rises to…
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness endemic to Nigeria and parts of West Africa, spread mainly through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats, and occasionally between humans via bodily fluids. Nigeria typically experiences a seasonal surge in cases during the dry season, from around November to April, when rodents move indoors in search of food, and the NCDC has run annual Lassa fever outbreak response activities to track cases, support treatment centres and coordinate state-level surveillance.
The latest NCDC figures, showing 1,138 confirmed cases and 268 deaths across 24 states in 2026, point to a fatality rate of 23.6%, underscoring how deadly the disease remains even as new infections slow. All three reports draw on the same NCDC situation update and agree on the case count, death toll and affected states, with Premium Times noting the decline in newly confirmed infections in the latest reporting week. None of the reports detail which states are worst affected, the trend compared to previous years, or what specific response measures the NCDC and state governments are taking to curb transmission.