By Blessing Bature
Nigeria has recorded 1,074 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 258 deaths in 2026, with the case fatality rate rising to 24 per cent, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
The figures are contained in the NCDC Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 35, covering August 24 to 30, 2026.
According to the report released on Tuesday, 205 suspected cases were recorded during the week under review, of which 18 were confirmed, while five deaths were recorded among confirmed cases, representing a weekly case fatality rate of 27.8 per cent.
The 18 new confirmed cases were reported in Ondo, Edo and Bauchi states.
The NCDC said the number of new confirmed cases declined from 21 recorded in Epidemiological Week 34 to 18 in Week 35.
However, the cumulative figures show an increase compared with the same period in 2025, when 871 confirmed cases and 162 deaths were recorded.
The agency said the 2026 cumulative case fatality rate of 24 per cent was also higher than the 18.6 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
So far in 2026, 24 states and 118 Local Government Areas have reported at least one confirmed Lassa fever case.
The NCDC noted that 86 per cent of all confirmed cases were reported from five states — Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue.
Ondo accounted for 34 per cent of confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi with 24 per cent, Taraba 12 per cent, Edo 10 per cent and Benue six per cent.
The predominant age group affected is people aged 21 to 30 years, although cases have been recorded among people aged between one and 93 years, with a median age of 30.
The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases stands at 1:0.9.
The NCDC also reported that no new healthcare worker was affected during Week 35.
As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, the agency said it had strengthened surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, laboratory diagnosis, risk communication and community engagement across affected states.
It also supported case management training for healthcare workers in Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba states, while 62 infection prevention and control focal persons in Lassa fever ring facilities in Ebonyi and Ondo states received capacity-building focused on screening, triage and prevention.
The agency said it had also developed a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan for Lassa fever in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other interventions include active case searches and contact tracing in high-burden states, deployment of National Rapid Response Teams to seven high-burden states, pre-positioning and distribution of personal protective equipment, and continued laboratory testing to support prompt diagnosis and treatment.
The NCDC said it had also activated Incident Management Systems for Lassa fever in Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Kano and Gombe states, while supporting risk communication and community engagement activities involving religious and traditional leaders in Edo and Ondo states.
The agency further disclosed that it had supplied Lassa fever infection prevention and control commodities and drugs to the Bauchi State University Teaching Hospital treatment and isolation centre, with support from WHO.
The latest figures underscore the continued burden of Lassa fever in Nigeria, particularly in states recording high numbers of confirmed infections, as health authorities intensify efforts to prevent transmission, protect healthcare workers and improve early diagnosis and treatment.
