The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that 204 people have died from Lassa fever in 2026, issuing a warning that delayed hospital visits, poor health-seeking behavior, and rising infections among healthcare workers are worsening the outbreak.
According to the agency’s latest Epidemiological Week 19 report, the disease’s case fatality rate has climbed to 25.7 percent, compared to 19.4 percent recorded during the same period in 2025. Although confirmed infections dropped slightly from 22 cases in Week 18 to 17 in Week 19, the outbreak remains active across 23 states and 108 local government areas nationwide. The latest confirmed cases were reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, and Nasarawa states.
The NCDC stated that five states—Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, and Benue—account for 84 percent of all confirmed infections recorded this year. Of these, Bauchi and Ondo each contributed 26 percent, Taraba 16 percent, Edo 9 percent, and Benue 7 percent. The report showed that young adults aged between 21 and 30 years remain the most affected group, although patients recorded so far range from one to 90 years old.
Health authorities also confirmed that one healthcare worker was infected during the reporting week, raising concerns about occupational exposure among frontline medical staff. In response to the outbreak, the NCDC said it has activated a national multi-sectoral Incident Management System to coordinate interventions across affected states.
The agency said emergency measures currently underway include infection prevention training for health workers, rapid response deployments, active case searches, contact tracing, public awareness campaigns, and distribution of protective equipment to health facilities. The response is being supported by organizations including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and ALIMA.
Part of the intervention includes a newly introduced 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan aimed at reducing infections among medical personnel in high-risk states. The NCDC blamed several factors for the worsening outbreak, including late presentation at hospitals, poor environmental sanitation, low public awareness, and the high cost of treatment.
“Poor health-seeking behavior due to the high cost of treatment and clinical management of Lassa fever remains a serious concern,” the agency warned. The NCDC urged healthcare workers to maintain strict infection prevention measures and encouraged state governments to sustain public sensitization campaigns and strengthen surveillance systems to contain the disease.
