The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a significant outbreak of Lassa fever, with 1,025 confirmed cases and 174 deaths from January 1 to October 6, 2024.
The outbreak spans 28 states and 128 local government areas across the country, with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 17.0 percent.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in healthcare settings in the absence of adequate infection prevention and control measures.”
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The NCDC report detailed that, “Cumulatively, from week 1 to week 40, 2024, 174 deaths have been reported, with a CFR of 17.0 percent, consistent with the corresponding period in 2023.”
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The majority of confirmed cases (68 percent) are concentrated in three states: Ondo (28 percent), Edo (23 percent), and Bauchi (17 percent), while the remaining 32 percent were reported across 25 other states.
The report further highlighted that, “Throughout 2024, 28 states have documented at least one confirmed case across 128 local government areas.”
The most affected age group is 31 to 40 years, with ages ranging from 1 to 98 years and a median age of 32. The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases stands at 1:1.
The National Lassa Fever Multi-Partner, Multi-Sectoral Technical Working Group is actively coordinating response activities at all levels to combat the outbreak.
