The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that Lassa fever has claimed 176 lives across Nigeria. According to its latest epidemiological report for Week 43 of 2025, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) has risen to 18.4 per cent, compared to 16.6 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus and spread mainly through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats.
The WHO notes that the disease remains endemic among rodent populations across parts of West Africa.
As of Epidemiological Week 43, Nigeria has recorded 955 confirmed cases of Lassa fever in 2025, with at least one case reported in 21 states and 102 local government areas nationwide.
The update revealed that during Epidemiological Week 43, new confirmed Lassa fever cases rose to 11 from the nine recorded in Week 42, with all infections reported in Ondo State.
According to the NCDC, a total of 176 deaths have been recorded so far in 2025, representing a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.4 per cent—an increase from the 16.6 per cent reported during the same period in 2024.
The agency further disclosed that four states—Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, and Taraba—accounted for 88 per cent of all confirmed cases, while the remaining 12 per cent were spread across 17 other affected states