THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a fresh increase in confirmed Lassa fever cases in epidemiological week 28, reversing the decline recorded in week 27, as cumulative infections climbed to 963 and the death toll rose to 229 in 2026.
News Point Nigeria reports that the latest Lassa Fever Situation Report, released by the NCDC in a statement on Friday, showed that new confirmed cases dropped from 31 in epidemiological week 26 to 14 in week 27 before rising again to 25 in week 28, indicating that transmission of the disease continues across affected states.
According to the report, the confirmed cases recorded in week 28 were reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi and Cross River states, while the cases documented in week 27 came from Ondo, Edo, Benue, Bauchi and Kogi states.
The NCDC disclosed that as of epidemiological week 28, Nigeria had recorded a cumulative total of 963 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 229 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 23.8 per cent, which is higher than the 18.7 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
“For week 27, the country recorded 936 confirmed cases and 224 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 23.9 per cent, also higher than the 18.9 per cent reported during the corresponding period in 2025,” the report stated.
The agency further revealed that 23 states had recorded at least one confirmed case of Lassa fever, with the disease affecting 113 local government areas in week 27 before expanding to 114 local government areas in week 28.
According to the NCDC, the majority of confirmed infections remained concentrated in Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo states, which accounted for 85 per cent of all confirmed cases in week 27 and increased slightly to 86 per cent in week 28.
The report also showed that people between the ages of 21 and 30 years remained the most affected demographic, underscoring the continued impact of the disease on young adults across the country.
The NCDC disclosed that while no healthcare worker was infected during epidemiological week 27, one healthcare worker contracted the disease during week 28.
The agency urged health authorities and the public to sustain surveillance efforts, ensure early detection of cases, provide prompt treatment, maintain strict infection prevention and control measures, and intensify community awareness campaigns to curb the spread of Lassa fever and prevent additional deaths.
