By FRANCA OFILI

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says new Lassa fever cases declined in epidemiological week 19, falling from 22 in the previous week to 17 confirmed cases.

The agency said this In its Lassa Fever Situation Report for Week 19 (May 4–10), noting that cases were recorded in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi, Taraba and Nasarawa states.

In spite of the weekly decline, the NCDC said the outbreak’s death toll had risen to 204 in 2026, reflecting continued spread of the disease across multiple states.

It said this represented a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 25.7 per cent, higher than the 19.4 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

Health officials attributed the rising fatality rate to late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour and pressure on health facilities managing severe infections.

The agency said 23 states across 108 local government areas had recorded at least one confirmed case so far in 2026.

It added that 84 per cent of confirmed infections were concentrated in five states, showing a high level of geographical clustering.

“Bauchi and Ondo each account for 26 per cent of confirmed cases, making them the highest-burden states in the country.

“Taraba recorded 16 per cent, Edo nine per cent, while Benue accounted for seven per cent of confirmed cases.

“The remaining 16 per cent were spread across 18 other states with confirmed transmission.”

NCDC said young adults aged 21–30 years remained the most affected group, with cases ranging from one to 90 years and a median age of 30 years.

It also reported that males and females were almost equally affected, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.9.

It said one healthcare worker was infected during the reporting week, underscoring continued occupational risks.

The agency said national response activities had been activated, including coordination mechanisms, infection prevention training and strengthened surveillance across affected states.

It added that risk communication, case management and community engagement efforts were ongoing to curb further spread of the disease. (NAN)

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