Lassa fever kills 142 in 6 months – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported that Lassa fever has killed 142 people between January and June 2025. This is according to its latest situation report released on Thursday.

A total of 747 confirmed cases were recorded across 18 states within this period, with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 19.0%, which is slightly higher than the 18.1% recorded during the same period in 2024.

According to the report, “As of epidemiological week 22 of 2025, 142 deaths have been reported across 96 local government areas in 18 states.”

The NCDC said that 91% of all confirmed cases were reported from five states: Ondo (31%), Bauchi (25%), Edo (16%), Taraba (16%), and Ebonyi (3%). The remaining 9% of cases were reported from 13 other states.

The most affected age group is 21 to 30 years, and the gender distribution shows a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8.

The agency also noted a decline in both suspected and confirmed cases compared to the same period last year. No new infections among healthcare workers were reported in week 22.

To strengthen the response, the national multi-sectoral and multi-partner Lassa fever Incident Management System (IMS) has been activated to coordinate activities at all levels.