The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control and Prevention said it has recorded 469 confirmed cases of Lassa Fever and 109 deaths so far in 2026, resulting in a case fatality rate of 23.2%, higher than the 18.7% reported during the same period in 2025.
In its Week 9 epidemiological report covering Feb. 23 to March 1, the agency said 65 new confirmed cases were recorded, down from 77 cases reported in Week 8.
The new infections were reported in Benue, Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo, Plateau and Nasarawa states.
The agency said six health care workers were infected during the reporting week, bringing the total number of infected workers to 37 this year.
Between Week 1 and Week 9 of 2026, Nigeria recorded 2,446 suspected cases of Lassa fever. Of those, 469 were confirmed and four classified as probable.
According to the agency, 86% of confirmed cases were reported in five states — Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo — while the remaining 14% were spread across 13 other states.
A total of 18 states across 69 local government areas have reported at least one confirmed case this year.
The report showed that people ages 21 to 30 were the most affected group, with a male-to-female ratio of 1 to 0.8 among confirmed cases.
The agency said it has activated a national incident management system to coordinate response efforts with multiple partners. Measures include intensified case finding, contact tracing and deployment of rapid response teams to seven high-burden states.
It added that personal protective equipment and other response materials have been distributed to treatment centers. A targeted infection prevention strategy has also been launched in Benue state with support from the World Health Organization, alongside field missions and clinical support from partners such as Médecins Sans Frontières and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency identified several challenges affecting response efforts, including late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behavior linked to high treatment costs, inadequate sanitation in affected communities and rising infections among health care workers.
It urged state governments to strengthen year-round community engagement on prevention. Health care workers were also advised to maintain a high index of suspicion, ensure early referrals and strictly follow infection prevention and control measures.
