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‎The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says Nigeria recorded 206 deaths from Lassa fever in 2025 as of epidemiological week 51, despite a decline in the number of reported cases.
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‎The NCDC disclosed this in its latest Lassa Fever Situation Report covering Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, 2025.
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‎According to the report, the case fatality rate (CFR) rose to 18.4 per cent in 2025, compared with 16.4 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.
‎The agency reported that 21 new confirmed cases were recorded in week 51, a decline from the 28 cases reported in the previous epidemiological week.
‎The new cases were recorded in Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, Kogi, Ebonyi and Plateau states, cutting across 14 local government areas.
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‎Within the same week, five deaths were recorded among confirmed cases, resulting in a weekly CFR of 23.8 per cent.

‎Cumulatively, Nigeria recorded 1,119 confirmed cases, nine probable cases and 9,270 suspected cases across 21 states and 105 local government areas as of week 51, 2025.
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‎The NCDC noted that although the number of suspected and confirmed cases declined compared to 2024, the fatality rate increased largely due to late presentation of patients at health facilities.
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‎By contrast, during the same period in 2024, the country recorded 1,237 confirmed cases, 20 probable cases and 203 deaths across 28 states and 139 local government areas.
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‎The report showed that four states — Ondo, Bauchi, Edo and Taraba — accounted for 88 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases in 2025.
‎Ondo State accounted for 35 per cent of confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi with 25 per cent, Edo with 16 per cent and Taraba with 12 per cent, while the remaining 12 per cent were reported across 17 other states.
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‎The NCDC said the most affected age group remained persons aged between 21 and 30 years, with cases ranging from one to 96 years and a median age of 30 years.
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‎It added that the male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases was 1:0.8, indicating slightly higher infections among males.
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‎The agency also reported that no healthcare worker was infected during the reporting week.
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‎According to the NCDC, late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour due to high treatment costs, poor environmental sanitation and low awareness in high-burden communities contributed significantly to the high fatality rate.
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‎The agency urged state governments to intensify year-round community engagement on Lassa fever prevention.
‎It also called on healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, ensure timely referral and treatment of suspected cases, and emphasised the need to strengthen state capacity to prevent, detect and respond promptly to outbreaks.