Nigeria’s Lassa fever toll reaches 268 as fatality rate rises to 23.6%
Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,138 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 268 deaths across 24 states and 119 local government areas through 4 October. The agency put the case-fatality rate at 23.6%, up from 18.6% for the same period in 2025; five states accounted for 88% of confirmed infections.
Bottom line — Ondo alone accounted for 36% of Nigeria’s confirmed cases, according to the NCDC.
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Three new cases were recorded in the week to 4 October, down from 13 the previous week, the NCDC reported.
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Bauchi and Benue recorded the three latest cases; the previous week’s 13 were reported in Ondo, according to the NCDC.
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Ondo accounted for 36% of cases, followed by Bauchi at 23%, Taraba at 12%, Edo at 11% and Benue at 6%, the NCDC said.
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People aged 21 to 30 were the most affected group during the reporting period, according to the NCDC.
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Daily Post Nigeria reports the NCDC attributed the high fatality rate partly to late presentation for treatment, treatment costs and poor health-seeking behaviour.
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Lassa fever is mainly spread through food or household items contaminated by infected rodents; transmission can also occur through contact with infected people’s bodily fluids, the NCDC said.