Lassa Fever Kills 214 Nigerians in 2026 as Death Rate Hits 25% - NCDC

By Victor Idajili

Lassa fever has killed 214 people in Nigeria this year, and the death rate is now 25%, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, says.

In its Week 23 report covering June 1 to June 7, the NCDC said the fatality rate is much higher than the 18.9% recorded at the same time last year. Both suspected and confirmed cases have also gone up compared to 2025.

New confirmed cases stayed flat in week 23, matching week 22. Edo, Ondo, Bauchi and Ebonyi states reported infections. No healthcare workers were infected during the week.

Since January, the outbreak has spread to 23 states and 109 local government areas. Five states account for 84% of all confirmed cases, though NCDC did not list them in this update.

Benue State recorded another death after Dr. Vitalis Tersoo Azever, a staff of APIN Public Health Initiatives in Konshisha LGA, died from Lassa fever complications. He was treated at Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, for over two weeks before he passed.

His death came barely 48 hours after Dr. Cedric Tyoor Kondom, another young doctor, died at the same hospital from bone marrow failure. The back-to-back deaths have shaken Benue’s medical community.

Benue Commissioner for Health, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, confirmed the case in Makurdi on Monday. He said the ministry has started contact tracing and activated emergency response measures.

“We were about to declare the outbreak over before this new case