Lassa fever death toll in Nigeria rises to 190 as fatality rate surges

ABUJA, May 12 (Xinhua) — The death toll from the Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria has risen to 190 since the beginning of the year, public health authorities said on Tuesday.

In its latest update, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said the case fatality rate stood at 25.2 percent in April, higher than the 19.1 percent recorded during the same period in 2025.

The agency attributed the increase in deaths to late presentation of cases and poor health-seeking behavior in high-burden communities.

Between January and April, Nigeria recorded 663 confirmed cases out of more than 3,220 suspected cases across 105 local government areas in 23 states, according to the NCDC.

The worst-hit states were Edo and Ondo in the south, and Bauchi, Benue and Taraba in the north, accounting for more than 84 percent of all confirmed cases. People aged 21 to 30 were the most affected group, the agency said.

The NCDC said poor sanitation, limited awareness in heavily affected communities and delayed treatment continued to worsen the outbreak.

A multi-sectoral incident management system has been activated to coordinate response efforts nationwide.

Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness mainly transmitted through food or household items contaminated by rodent urine or feces. Human-to-human transmission can also occur through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons.

With over 242 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and has the sixth-largest population in the world.