Lassa fever: 237 dead as fatality rate rises to 23.7%

… 1,000 confirmed cases recorded nationwide
… Late presentation, high treatment cost fuelling deaths
… 23 states, 116 LGAs affected
By Chioma Obinna
Nigeria’s Lassa fever crisis has worsened, with 237 people dying from the disease out of 1,000 confirmed cases recorded so far in 2026, pushing the Case Fatality Rate, CFR, to 23.7 per cent.
According to the latest situation report of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, covering epidemiological week 30, shows that the fatality rate is substantially higher than the 18.8 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
Although the number of new confirmed cases dropped from 20 in week 29 to 17 in w...