Nigeria reports 10 Lassa fever deaths in first week of 2025
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported 54 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 10 deaths (CFR 18.5 percent) in the first week of 2025.
Six states (Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, Ebonyi, and Kogi) have recorded at least one confirmed case across 20 Local Government Areas.
Seventy-eight (78%) of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from these three states (Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi).
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In addition, 196 suspect cases were reported in the first week.
The Lassa Fever Incident Management System coordinated at the National Public Health Emergency Operation Centre was activated.
In 2024, Nigeria reported 1,309 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 214 deaths in 28 states.
Lassa Fever is an acute viral illness and a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). The causative agent is a single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus in the family arenaviridae, the Lassa virus. This zoonotic disease is associated with high morbidity and mortality, transmitted by the multi-mammate rat (mastomys natalensis), one of the most common rats in equatorial Africa.
The virus spreads through:
• Direct contact with urine, feces, saliva, or blood of infected rats.
• Contact with objects, household items, and surfaces contaminated with the urine, feces, saliva, or blood of infected rats.
• Consuming food or water contaminated with the urine, feces, saliva, or blood of infected rats.
• Person-to-person transmission can also occur through direct contact with blood, urine, feces, vomitus, and other body fluids of an infected person.
Lassa fever initially presents like other common illnesses accompanied by a fever, such as malaria. Other symptoms include headache, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pains, chest pain, sore throat, and, in severe cases, bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other body openings. The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms of the disease is 3 to 21 days. Early diagnosis and treatment of the diseases greatly increase the chances of patient survival.
People most at risk for Lassa fever are:
• People of all age groups who come in contact with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats.
• People living in rat-infested environments.
• People who consume potentially contaminated foodstuff, especially those left open overnight or dried outside in the open.
• People who handle or process rodents for consumption.
• People who do not perform hand hygiene at appropriate times.
• Caretakers of infected persons with poor infection prevention and control measures.
The disease was first discovered in a town called Lassa in Borno State, Nigeria in 1969.