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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has recorded an increase in Lassa fever infections after a brief decline, with the country’s cumulative caseload rising to 963 confirmed cases and 229 deaths so far in 2026.
According to the agency’s latest Lassa Fever Situation Report, released on Friday, confirmed infections fell from 31 cases in epidemiological week 26 to 14 cases in week 27, before climbing to 25 cases in week 28, signalling continued transmission across affected states.
The new infections reported in week 28 came from Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi and Cross River states, while week 27 cases were recorded in Ondo, Edo, Benue, Bauchi and Kogi.
The NCDC said Nigeria had recorded 963 laboratory-confirmed cases and 229 deaths as of epidemiological week 28, resulting in a case fatality rate of 23.8 per cent, compared with 18.7 per cent during the same period in 2025.
A week earlier, the country had reported 936 confirmed infections and 224 deaths, with a 23.9 per cent case fatality rate, also higher than the 18.9 per cent recorded at the corresponding period last year.
The report showed that 23 states have confirmed at least one Lassa fever case this year, with the disease spreading across 114 local government areas by week 28, up from 113 LGAs in the previous week.
The NCDC noted that the outbreak remains heavily concentrated in Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo states, which accounted for 86 percent of all confirmed cases in week 28, up slightly from 85 percent in week 27.
Young adults aged 21 to 30 years continued to account for the highest number of infections, according to the report.
The agency also reported that while no healthcare worker was infected in week 27, one healthcare worker tested positive for Lassa fever during week 28.
The NCDC called for intensified disease surveillance, prompt detection and treatment of cases, strict adherence to infection prevention and control measures, and sustained public awareness campaigns to curb transmission and reduce fatalities.
