By FRANCA OFILI

Lassa fever has claimed 214 lives in Nigeria, with the Case Fatality Rate climbing to 25.0 per cent, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), has said.

This is contained in the NCDC Lassa Fever Situation Report for Week 23 (June 1 to June 7).

This, the agency said is up sharply from 18.9 per cent during the same period in 2025.

It said that both suspected and confirmed cases have also increased compared to 2025.

“New confirmed cases held steady in week 23, matching the count from week 22.

“Infections were reported in Edo, Ondo, Bauchi and Ebonyi. No new healthcare worker infections were reported during the week.

“The outbreak has spread across 23 states and 109 Local Government Areas since January 2026,” it said.

According to it, five states account for 84 per cent of all confirmed cases.

“Ondo leads with 28 per cent, followed by Bauchi 25 per cent, Taraba 15 per cent, Edo 10 per cent, and Benue six per cent

“The remaining 16 per cent of cases are spread across 18 other states with confirmed infections,” it said.

According to the agency, young adults remain most affected.

The predominant age group, the NCDC said, is 21-30 years, with cases ranging from one to 93 years and a median age of 30 years.

The agency said that to coordinate the response, the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Incident Management System (IMS)remained activated.

It said the IMS is supporting response activities at federal, state and LGA levels.

It said no new healthcare worker case was reported in week 23, the higher CFR and wider geographic spread point to ongoing transmission pressure.

According to it, surveillance and case management efforts continue across the 23 affected states. (NAN)

Update news