By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has raised fresh concern over the persistent spread of Lassa fever, revealing that the disease has claimed 221 lives this year, with new infections rising steadily over a three-week period.
The latest epidemiological situation reports released by the agency for Weeks 24, 25 and 26 showed that confirmed cases increased from 13 in Week 24 to 22 in Week 25 and further climbed to 31 in Week 26, signalling renewed transmission across affected states.
According to the reports, Nigeria recorded a cumulative total of 922 confirmed cases and 221 deaths by the end of Week 26 (June 22–28, 2026), representing a case fatality rate (CFR) of 24.0 per cent, significantly higher than the 18.7 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
The reports indicated that the latest 31 confirmed cases were recorded in Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Bauchi states, with Ondo and Bauchi remaining among the country’s major hotspots.
