….Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, Benue account for 84% of infections

By Chioma Obinna

ABUJA — Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak has claimed 204 lives in 2026, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, warned that delayed hospital visits, poor health-seeking behaviour and increasing infections among healthcare workers were worsening the disease burden across the country.

The latest situation report released by the NCDC for Epidemiological Week 19 showed that the Case Fatality Rate, CFR, had risen to 25.7 per cent, compared to 19.4 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

According to the agency, although confirmed cases dropped from 22 in Week 18 to 17 in Week 19, the outbreak remained active in several parts of the country, with 23 states and 108 local government areas affected so far this year.

The latest confirmed infections were recorded in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi, Taraba and Nasarawa states.

The NCDC disclosed that five states — Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo and Benue — accounted for 84 per cent of all confirmed cases nationwide.

“Of the 84 per cent confirmed cases, Bauchi and Ondo each contributed 26 per cent, Taraba 16 per cent, Edo 9 per cent and Benue 7 per cent,” the agency stated.

The report also indicated that young adults between the ages of 21 and 30 remained the most affected age group, while patients affected ranged from one to 90 years old.

The agency further confirmed that one healthcare worker was infected during the reporting week, raising concerns over occupational exposure among frontline health personnel.

Amid the outbreak, the NCDC said it had activated a national multi-sectoral Incident Management System to coordinate response efforts across federal and state levels.

The agency said emergency response activities had intensified nationwide, including infection prevention and control training for healthcare workers, deployment of rapid response teams to seven high-burden states, active case searches, contact tracing, public sensitisation campaigns and distribution of personal protective equipment to health facilities.

It also disclosed that high-level advocacy visits and emergency coordination meetings had been conducted in affected states with support from partners such as the World Health Organisation, WHO, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US CDC, and ALIMA.

Part of the intervention measures, according to the agency, includes a newly developed 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan aimed at reducing infections among medical personnel in endemic states.

The NCDC identified late presentation of patients at health facilities, poor environmental sanitation, low awareness in affected communities and the high cost of treatment as major factors fuelling the outbreak.

“Poor health-seeking behaviour due to the high cost of treatment and clinical management of Lassa fever remains a serious concern,” the agency warned.

The NCDC urged state governments to sustain year-round sensitisation campaigns on Lassa fever prevention and advised healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of suspected cases.

“Healthcare workers should adhere strictly to infection prevention and control protocols while initiating timely referral and treatment for suspected cases,” the report added.

The agency also stressed the need for stronger state-level preparedness, surveillance and rapid response systems to contain the spread of the disease before the peak transmission season intensifies further.