Lassa fever death toll hits 252, cases rise to 1,035 — NCDC

Nigeria’s Lassa fever case count rose to 1,035 after 14 new infections were recorded during epidemiological week 33, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The new cases, recorded from August 10 to August 16, came from Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, and Benue states. Cumulative deaths increased to 252, pushing the case fatality rate to 24.4%, compared with 18.6% in 2025.

The 14 cases marked an increase from four in week 32, when infections were reported in Ondo and Edo. Week 32 ended with 1,021 cumulative infections, 240 deaths, and a 23.5% fatality rate. The NCDC said week 32 itself represented a decline from the 17 cases recorded in week 31.

By week 33, 23 states had reported at least one confirmed case across 117 local government areas. Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue, and Edo accounted for 87% of all confirmed infections. The same five states represented 86% of cases in week 32. People aged 21 to 30 remained the most affected age group in both reporting weeks.

The NCDC reported no new healthcare worker infections in either week 32 or week 33 and said surveillance and response activities would continue as Lassa fever remains a public health concern in affected states.