•Lassa fever
Nigeria has recorded 167 deaths from Lassa fever within the first three months of 2026, according to figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
The toll underscores the severity of the outbreak, which continues to spread across multiple states despite ongoing containment efforts, reports Saturday Independent.
NCDC in the epidemiological week 13 report covering March 23 to 29, published on Thursday said confirmed cases declined to 26 from 51 recorded in the previous week.
The new infections were reported in Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Ebonyi, Benue and Kaduna states.
The 167 deaths recorded so far in the first quarter of the year translate to a case fatality rate of 25.2 percent, significantly higher than the 18.5 per cent reported during the same period in 2025.
The report revealed that the country is grappling with a widening Lassa fever outbreak that has now spread to 22 states and 93 local government areas, according to the latest report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The situation is most severe in Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo and Benue, which together account for 85 per cent of confirmed cases.
Bauchi State leads the national tally with 28 per cent of infections, followed by Ondo at 22 per cent and Taraba at 18 per cent.
The report highlighted that young adults aged 21 to 30 years remain the most affected demographic, though cases span from infants to the elderly, with ages ranging between one and 90 years.
The gender distribution shows a male-to-female ratio of 1 to 0.8, underscoring a slightly higher burden among men.
While no new infections among healthcare workers were recorded during the week under review, the NCDC confirmed that both suspected and confirmed cases remain higher than figures reported at the same time last year, signalling a worsening trend.
To contain the outbreak, NCDC has activated a national multi-partner incident management system, deploying rapid response teams to high-burden states. Measures include contact tracing, infection prevention strategies and community-level interventions.
The agency also identified late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour linked to treatment costs, and low awareness in affected communities as critical challenges fuelling the high fatality rate.
It has urged state governments to intensify community engagement on prevention, while advising healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion and adhere strictly to infection prevention and control protocols.
