The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised concerns over a rise in Lassa fever deaths in 2025, even as the total number of suspected and confirmed cases remains significantly lower than the previous year.
In its Week 31 situation report, ending August 3, 2025, NCDC reported nine new cases in Ondo, Edo, and Taraba States—up from three last week. The cumulative total for 2025 has now reached 836 confirmed cases and 156 deaths.
This represents a case fatality rate of 18.7 percent, higher than the 17.3 percent recorded in the same period of 2024.
As of August 3, there have been 6,851 suspected cases in 2025 in Nigeria, with 21 states and 105 local government areas affected.
The states with the highest burden are Ondo with 33 percent of cases, Bauchi with 23 percent, Edo with 17 percent, Taraba with 14 percent, and Ebonyi with 3 percent.
Most cases fall within the 21–30 age group, and the male-to-female ratio stands at 1 to 0.8.
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