According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), there have been 784 confirmed cases of Lassa fever with 142 deaths in Nigeria over the past three months, spread across 23 states. The confirmed cases were reported between January 1 and the present day, with a decrease in new cases from 70 in Week 10 to 38 cases in Week 11. The affected states include Edo, Ondo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Taraba, Benue, Rivers, Plateau, and Nasarawa.
As of Epidemiological Week 11, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) for Lassa fever was 18.1%, with a total of 142 deaths reported from Week 1 to Week 11. This CFR was slightly lower than the 18.7% CFR recorded for the same period in 2022. The outbreak has been reported in 97 local government areas across the 23 affected states, with Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states accounting for 71% of new confirmed cases, while the remaining 29% came from six other states. Of these three states, Ondo reported the highest number of cases at 32%, followed by Edo at 29% and Bauchi at 10%.
The most affected age group is individuals between the ages of 21 and 30, with a median age of 32 years. The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases was 1:0.9. The number of suspected cases has increased compared to the same period in 2022. Additionally, in Week 11, a healthcare worker was reported to have been affected.
