2025 LASSA FEVER FATALITIES

All stakeholders should do more to stem the scourge

No fewer than 206 Nigerians were lost to Lassa Fever in 2025, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). More unfortunate is that the case fatality rate (CFR) for the last quarter of the year recorded a higher numbers than the same period in 2024. Factors responsible include late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour, and the high cost of treatment, especially in high-burden communities. But beyond the general figure, health authorities must interrogate why 88 per cent of the confirmed cases were concentrated in just four states – Ondo (35 per cent), Bauchi (25 per cent), Edo (16 per cent), and Taraba (12 per cent).

That Nigerians die needlessly from a preventable disease like Lassa fever is quite egregious. Besides, what the latest figures indicate is that if indeed there have been any preventive strategies, they are not working. “Late presentation continues to drive up mortality. Early detection and prompt treatment remain critical to survival,” NCDC said in rationalising the spike in fatality rates. But to rid the nation of the preventable disease that claims the lives of dozens of our citizens on an annual basis, authorities in the health sector need to do more work.

Lassa fever is an acute febrile illness which is caused by the Lassa virus,  and transmitted to humans primarily through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected rats. The virus has an incubation period of between six to 21 days. The onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, before being followed by headache, sore throat, nausea, cough, and bleeding from mouth, etc. However, because the symptoms of Lassa Fever are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease. For that reason, steps should be taken by the government, at all levels, to emphasise routine infection prevention and control measures. Healthcare workers should also be advised to always be careful to avoid contact with blood and bodily fluids in the process of caring for sick persons.    

Unfortunately, Lassa fever has been a serious health challenge in Nigeria since it was first diagnosed in Lassa (the village after which it was named) in Borno State in 1969. Even though there have been efforts in the past to contain the scourge, our country has been witnessing frequent outbreaks in recent years. This, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “could be attributed to reduced response capacity in surveillance and laboratory testing.”     

Experts have advised that people should ensure their food (cooked or uncooked) is properly covered while regular handwashing should be adhered to always. The bush around the home should also be cleared regularly while windows and doors of the house should be closed, especially when it is nighttime. The public should also be adequately enlightened on the dangers posed by rats in their homes. With the enormous resources available to them now, authorities in the 36 states and 774 local government areas should be able to mount a public awareness campaign on the issue. But the real challenge is to work towards its total eradication in a disease that is endemic in some West African countries.

  We hope the authorities will take both preventive and long-term measures this time around so that we do not continue to lose our citizens to the virus that has for decades been an emblem of shame for Nigeria.