NCDC confirms 54 lassa fever cases 18.5% death rate 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported an 18.5 per cent Case of Fatality Rate (CFR) for Lassa fever.

The NCDC disclosed that there was 10 deaths and 54 confirmed cases recorded between Dec. 30 2024 and Jan. 5.

It added that, “These figures were part of the 196 suspected cases reported during the period.”

The situation report revealed that the confirmed cases were spread across six states and 20 local government areas.

The states affected included Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, Ebonyi, and Kogi.

A breakdown of the cases showed that 78 per cent of all confirmed infections were from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states.

It added that Ondo accounted for 35 per cent, Edo 28 per cent and Bauchi 15 per cent.

The NCDC noted that the predominant age group affected was 21 to 30 years, with a median age of 31.5 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.6.

Although it said that there had been an increase in suspected cases compared to the same period in 2024, no healthcare worker was infected during the first reporting week of 2025.

The NCDC said it had activated its National Lassa Fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System to oversee response efforts.

“In 2024, Nigeria recorded 9,685 suspected cases of Lassa fever, with 1,187 confirmed cases and 191 deaths across 28 states and 138 local government areas,”  it said.