The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reports 1,069 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 195 deaths across 21 states by Epidemiological Week 49 of 2025, yielding an 18.2% case fatality rate higher than 2024's 16.5%.
Nigeria recorded 9,041 suspected cases, 1,069 confirmed, and seven probable cases by early December 2025, with 33 new confirmed cases and eight deaths in Week 49 from Bauchi, Ondo, Edo, and Taraba. These four states accounted for 89% of cases Ondo (36%), Edo (24%), Bauchi (12%), and Taraba (12%) spanning 103 local government areas, down from 137 in 2024 despite fewer cases overall. Young adults aged 21-30 faced the highest burden, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8 and no healthcare worker infections that week, though 24 occurred yearly.
NCDC's multi-sectoral team, backed by WHO, UNICEF, US CDC, and CEPI, deployed rapid response teams to 10 states, distributed ribavirin and PPE, ran sanitation campaigns, and launched an e-learning platform for infection control. Key hurdles include late case presentation, high treatment costs, poor sanitation, and low awareness in high-burden areas, driving fatalities despite declining cases.
The 2025 fatality rate exceeds prior years, with earlier reports noting 176 deaths by mid-December (18.4% CFR) and Q1 alone claiming 118 lives from 645 cases. Affected states dropped from 28 to 21, but persistent endemicity in West Africa, first identified in Nigeria in the 1960s, underscores seasonal risks tied to rodent exposure.
NCDC urges year-round community engagement, early detection, timely treatment, and healthcare vigilance, while pressing partners to bolster state capacities against outbreaks. Improved health-seeking behavior and sanitation remain critical to curbing this viral hemorrhagic fever's impact nationwide.