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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 645 confirmed cases of Lassa fever out of 3,465 suspected cases from January to March 2025, affecting 33 states and 91 local councils.
Additionally, over the weekend, it announced that a total of 807 suspected cerebrospinal meningitis cases and 74 fatalities had been recorded across 22 states by March 26, 2025.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned that as many as 80 percent of meningitis patients could die without prompt treatment.
Meanwhile,the NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, activated the Lassa Fever National Emergency Operations Centre at Response Level Two to enhance outbreak control and response efforts.
Sani Datti, the Head of Corporate Communication at NCDC, provided this information in a statement yesterday.
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus, primarily carried by the multimammate rat, also referred to as the African rat, although other rodents may serve as carriers as well.
"From January to March 2025, the NCDC reported 3,465 suspected Lassa fever cases across 91 local councils in 33 states. Of these, 645 cases were confirmed, resulting in 118 deaths and leading to a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.3 percent.
"Regrettably, 20 healthcare workers have contracted the virus: eight in Ondo, four in Bauchi, two each in Taraba and Gombe, and one each in Edo, Ebonyi, Benue, and Ogun states," stated the public health institute.
The report emphasized that to ensure an effective response, the agency deployed Rapid Response Teams to Kogi, Plateau, Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Taraba, Benue, Gombe, and Nasarawa states for a duration of two weeks between January and March 2025.
As of March 26, 2025, the CFR for meningitis was reported to be 9.2 percent.
The NCDC released this information in a statement titled ‘CSM outbreak: NCDC rapid response teams in Kebbi, Sokoto and Katsina states,’ which was signed by Datti on Thursday.
The statement confirmed that Rapid Response Teams were already active in Kebbi, Sokoto, and Katsina states in light of the ongoing cerebrospinal meningitis outbreak.
This deployment follows a notable rise in reported suspected cases in those states.
"By March 26, 2025, a total of 807 suspected cases and 74 deaths had been documented across 22 states, conducting to a CFR of 9.2 percent. The affected states include Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Oyo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kaduna, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Ekiti, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The MSF statement warned that meningitis, especially the Neisseria meningitidis strain found in Nigeria, is a particularly deadly illness if not treated.
This warning was included in a statement issued by MSF Field Communications Manager Teresa Krug and made available to the press in Kano.
The statement noted, “Since early March, meningitis, an extremely contagious and fatal disease, has been rapidly spreading through various states in Northwest Nigeria, especially in Kebbi and Sokoto states.”
He pointed out that healthcare workers in Northern Nigeria are racing against time.
“The situation is critical because meningitis can lead to death swiftly if a patient does not reach a hospital in time,” stated MSF medical doctor Bukar Galtimari, who works in Kebbi, the region most affected by the outbreak in Nigeria.
“We often see a mother coming in with two or three affected children, and given how quickly this disease spreads, the risk to their lives is very genuine.”
