Lassa fever deaths rise to 259 as Ondo, Bauchi record highest fatalities

Nigeria has recorded 1,086 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 259 deaths across 24 states and 118 local government areas in 2026, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said.

The agency disclosed this in its latest Lassa fever situation report for epidemiological week 36, covering August 31 to September 6, 2026.

According to the report, 12 new confirmed cases were recorded during the week in Ondo, Edo and Kogi states.

The NCDC said the 259 deaths recorded among the 1,086 confirmed cases represented a case fatality rate (CFR) of 23.9 per cent.

It noted that the CFR remained higher than the 18.6 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.

The agency said 24 states had recorded at least one confirmed Lassa fever case across 118 LGAs.

It added that 87 per cent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases recorded in 2026 came from five states: Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue.

Ondo accounted for 34 per cent of the confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi with 24 per cent, Taraba with 12 per cent, Edo with 11 per cent and Benue with six per cent.

Ondo recorded the highest number of deaths at 89, while Bauchi followed with 36 fatalities.

The NCDC said no new healthcare worker was infected during epidemiological week 36.

It also reported that 18 confirmed cases were recorded in week 35 in Ondo, Edo and Bauchi states.

By the end of week 35, Nigeria had recorded 1,074 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 258 deaths, representing a CFR of 24.0 per cent.

The agency said the predominant age group affected during week 35 was people aged between 21 and 30 years.

It added that surveillance and response activities continued nationwide, with no new healthcare worker affected during the period.

The NCDC said the increase in confirmed cases from 1,074 in week 35 to 1,086 in week 36 reflected the 12 additional cases recorded during the latest reporting period.

Similarly, deaths increased from 258 to 259, while the CFR declined slightly from 24.0 per cent to 23.9 per cent.