Nigeria has recorded 177 deaths from Lassa fever between January and early November 2025, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

The latest epidemiological situation report released by the NCDC shows that as of epidemiological Week 44 (ending November 2), the country has confirmed 966 cases across 21 states and 102 Local Government Areas.

The Case Fatality Rate now stands at 18.3 per cent — higher than the 16.5 per cent recorded within the same period in 2024 — signalling a worsening trend in Nigeria’s response to the viral disease.

Lassa fever, according to the World Health Organisation, is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, primarily transmitted through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats.

The disease is endemic in several West African countries, including Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria.

According to the NCDC, new confirmed cases increased slightly from 11 in Week 43 to 12 in Week 44, with infections reported in Ondo, Edo and Benue states.

So far in 2025, 87 per cent of all confirmed cases have come from four states: Ondo (36 per cent), Bauchi (21 per cent), Edo (17 per cent) and Taraba (13 per cent). The remaining 13 per cent were recorded across 17 other states.

The agency noted that the predominant age group affected is 21–30 years, with patients ranging from one to 96 years old. The median age is 30, and the male-to-female ratio is 1:0.8.

It added that the number of suspected and confirmed cases this year is lower than the figure reported during the same period in 2024.

“No new healthcare worker was affected in Week 44,” the NCDC reported.

The centre said the national multi-partner, multi-sectoral Lassa fever Technical Working Group continues to coordinate response activities across all levels, as the country battles one of its most persistent and deadly infectious diseases.