Six health workers contract Lassa fever in one week, NCDC confirms

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that six healthcare workers were infected with Lassa fever in just one week, raising concerns about the risks faced by frontline medical staff.

The NCDC made this disclosure on Monday in its Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 9, which covered the period from February 23 to March 1.

The infections occurred as Nigeria continues to fight the viral haemorrhagic disease across several states, highlighting the ongoing threat to healthcare personnel treating patients.

The agency said that cumulatively, 37 healthcare workers had been infected with Lassa fever in 2026.

It said Nigeria recorded 65 confirmed cases of Lassa fever in the week, a slight decline from the 77 reported the previous week.

The report noted that the confirmed cases were recorded in Benue, Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo, Plateau and Nasarawa states.

The public health agency also said that 460 suspected cases were reported during the week under review, with nine deaths recorded among confirmed cases, representing a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 13.9 per cent.

Cumulatively, the NCDC said Nigeria has recorded 2,446 suspected cases and 469 confirmed cases of Lassa fever in 2026, with 109 deaths reported so far.

It added that the overall case fatality rate stands at 23.2 per cent, which is higher than the 18.7 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

The agency said 18 states and 69 local government areas have recorded at least one confirmed case this year.

According to the report, 86 per cent of confirmed infections were recorded in five states – Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo.

The NCDC attributed the increasing fatalities partly to late presentation of cases at health facilities, poor health-seeking behaviour and inadequate awareness in some high-burden communities.

The agency said it had activated a multi-partner Incident Management System to coordinate response efforts nationwide.

It also noted that response activities include active case search, contact tracing, the distribution of personal protective equipment to health facilities, and the deployment of rapid response teams to affected states.

The NCDC urged healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever and adhere strictly to infection prevention and control measures to reduce hospital-based transmission.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, first identified in 1969 in the town of Lassa, Borno.

It is endemic in Nigeria and parts of West Africa, with the virus primarily carried by the multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says humans become infected through contact with rodent excreta or contaminated food, and human-to-human transmission can occur in healthcare settings without proper infection prevention measures.

While many infections are mild or asymptomatic, the WHO says about 20 per cent can develop severe disease, presenting with fever, headache, vomiting, bleeding, and organ dysfunction. (NAN)

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