Nigeria recorded 18 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever in epidemiological week 35, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in 2026 to 1,074, with 258 deaths recorded across 24 states. The latest Lassa Fever Situation Report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) shows a case fatality rate of 24 percent.
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces. Person-to-person transmission can also occur through direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces or other bodily fluids of an infected person. The disease is endemic in Nigeria and several other West African countries.
According to the World Health Organization, Lassa fever is endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The overall case fatality rate is 1 percent, but among patients hospitalised with severe illness it can reach 15 percent. Early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival.
The NCDC has continued to coordinate response activities, including surveillance, laboratory testing, case management and risk communication. Health authorities advise the public to maintain good hygiene, store food in rodent-proof containers and avoid contact with rodents.
