Lagos raises the alarm over Lassa fever outbreak

Lagos State has launched a statewide campaign against Lassa fever as Nigeria battles one of its worst outbreaks in years, with over 660 confirmed cases and 167 deaths recorded between January and mid-March 2026.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, who raised the alarm on Saturday, said the outbreak has spread across 22 states and 93 local government areas, describing it as “a serious national health concern” requiring urgent, coordinated action at both federal and state levels.

A particularly troubling dimension of the crisis, he said, is the infection of frontline health workers. At least 38 healthcare personnel have contracted the disease, with three doctors dying since the start of the year.

“When a disease begins to kill frontline workers, that is a serious warning sign,” Abayomi said, stressing the need for strict infection prevention protocols and rapid response systems.

Lassa fever is a zoonotic viral disease transmitted primarily from rodents and bushmeat to humans and subsequently spreads person-to-person, often presenting as a haemorrhagic illness capable of causing fever and internal bleeding.

Although Lagos is not classified as an endemic state and typically records only a few imported cases annually, Abayomi warned that its status as a densely populated commercial hub significantly heightens transmission risk.

“Every day, thousands of people move in and out of Lagos by road and air. In a mega city like ours, infectious diseases can spread very quickly if not contained early, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

The commissioner noted that unlike in previous years when Lassa fever followed seasonal peaks, emerging evidence points to year-round transmission, driven partly by increased human contact with rodent reservoirs and environmental changes. He added that roughly 70 per cent of infected persons show mild or no symptoms but remain infectious, posing a silent transmission risk in densely populated areas.

Approximately one in five symptomatic patients, he said, develops serious complications that may result in death, particularly where diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Abayomi classified Lassa fever alongside Ebola and Marburg virus disease as “pathogens of high consequence” capable of overwhelming health systems if not properly managed.

He attributed the rising incidence of such diseases to climate change, deforestation and ecological disruption, which are driving rodents closer to human settlements while pushing humans deeper into natural habitats.

To strengthen its response, Lagos State has activated a 24-hour Emergency Operations Centre, enhanced surveillance systems, deployed digital health tools and intensified training of healthcare workers in biosecurity and infection prevention.