The Nigeria Centre for Illness Management and Prevention has recorded 143 confirmed instances of Lassa fever out of 484 suspected instances from December 30, 2024, to January 12, 2025, throughout seven states and 32 native authorities areas.
The centre additionally reported 22 deaths, leading to a Case Fatality Fee (CFR) of 15.4 per cent.
This info was contained within the Lassa fever state of affairs report obtained from the NCDC on Wednesday.
In response to the report, the deaths occurred in Ondo (6), Edo (5), Bauchi (2), Taraba (6), Ebonyi (2), and Gombe (1).
The World Well being Organisation describes Lassa fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic sickness attributable to the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus household. People often contract the virus via publicity to meals or home items contaminated by the urine or faeces of contaminated Mastomys rats.
The illness is endemic to the rodent inhabitants in components of West Africa and is prevalent in nations resembling Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria. Additionally it is probably current in different West African nations.
“Particular person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can even happen, notably in healthcare settings the place an infection prevention and management measures are insufficient,” WHO acknowledged.
The NCDC report famous: “In week two, the variety of new confirmed instances elevated from 54 in epidemiological week certainly one of 2025 to 89, reported in Ondo, Edo, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Kogi, and Ebonyi States.
“Cumulatively in week two of 2025, 22 deaths have been reported with a CFR of 15.4 per cent, which is decrease than the CFR for a similar interval in 2024 (16.4 per cent). Seven states have recorded not less than one confirmed case throughout 32 native authorities areas this yr.”
The report additional revealed that 77 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever instances have been from Ondo (38 per cent), Edo (22 per cent), and Bauchi (17 per cent), whereas the remaining 23 per cent have been reported from 4 different states.
It added that the predominant age group affected is 21–30 years (vary: 3 to 78 years, median age: 32 years), with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.7 amongst confirmed instances.
The variety of suspected instances decreased in comparison with the identical interval in 2024, the report famous. One new healthcare employee was affected within the second reporting week.
The NCDC additionally acknowledged that the Nationwide Lassa Fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Administration System has been activated to coordinate response actions in any respect ranges.