Lassa fever spreads across 119 LGAs as death toll hit 268

Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak has reached 1,138 confirmed cases and 268 deaths by the end of epidemiological week 40. The figures cover September 21 to October 4, 2026. They show the outbreak is continuing across many communities, while the rising fatality rate signals a more serious outcome among confirmed patients than last year.

The latest week produced three new confirmed cases in Bauchi and Benue. Week 39 recorded 13 new cases, all reported in Ondo State, compared with 11 in week 38. By the end of week 39, the country had 1,134 confirmed cases and 267 deaths. The additional week 40 cases raised those totals to 1,138 and 268.

The NCDC is tracking cases, deaths, affected states, LGAs and age groups through periodic situation reports. People aged 21 to 30 were the most affected group. No new infections were recorded among healthcare workers during the two weeks reviewed, but continued sanitation and rodent-control measures remain important.

Lassa fever is not limited to one part of Nigeria. The NCDC reported infections across 119 Local Government Areas in 24 states during the period covered by its weeks 39 and 40 situation report. This wide geographic spread matters because it places multiple communities at risk and requires surveillance and prevention across many areas.

Five states accounted for most confirmed cases: Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo. Together, they represented 88 per cent of all confirmed cases recorded during the reporting period. In week 40, the three new cases came from Bauchi and Benue. In week 39, new infections were reported in Ondo State.

The distribution shows that the outbreak is concentrated in several leading states but remains nationally significant. The NCDC continues to report cases by state and LGA. Maintaining sanitation, protecting food from rodents and reducing contact with rats can help limit further spread in affected and nearby communities.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness. The main route described by the NCDC is contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected rodents. This makes rodent exposure a central part of the disease’s transmission and prevention story.

For example, a person may encounter contaminated food or an item in the home and become exposed. The disease can also pass from person to person through contact with bodily fluids from an infected individual. The article especially highlights this risk in healthcare settings when suitable infection-prevention and control measures are not used.

Because transmission can involve both rodents and infected people, prevention requires more than one action. The NCDC advises proper environmental sanitation, rodent-proof food storage and avoidance of rats. In healthcare settings, appropriate infection-prevention measures help reduce exposure to bodily fluids and limit further spread.

The case fatality rate is the proportion of confirmed cases that resulted in death. A rate of 23.6 per cent means that deaths represented 23.6 out of every 100 confirmed cases in the reported figures. It helps show the severity of the outbreak among people whose infections were confirmed, rather than counting all infections in the population.

Nigeria recorded 1,138 confirmed cases and 268 deaths by the end of week 40. The NCDC reported a cumulative case fatality rate of 23.6 per cent. For week 39, the rate was also 23.6 per cent, compared with 18.5 per cent during the corresponding period in 2025.

The comparable period’s broader 2025 rate was 18.6 per cent, so the 2026 figure was higher. That increase means a larger proportion of confirmed cases resulted in deaths than during the previous year’s corresponding period. The report does not give a reason for the change, so the figure should be treated as a warning signal rather than an explanation.

Contact with contaminated materials can provide a route for Lassa fever transmission. The article identifies food and household items contaminated by infected rodents’ urine or faeces as important sources of exposure. It also says bodily fluids from an infected person can spread the disease to another person.

For instance, a contaminated household item may connect an infected rodent to a person. In a healthcare setting, contact with an infected individual’s bodily fluids can create another transmission route when appropriate infection-prevention and control measures are not implemented. These are the mechanisms described by the NCDC.

The article does not list the symptoms or immediate medical outcomes after exposure. It does show why reducing contact matters: contaminated materials can pass infection, and bodily-fluid contact can extend spread between people. Sanitation, rodent-proof food storage, avoiding rats and strong healthcare precautions are the stated ways to reduce exposure and transmission.

Rodents are central to Lassa fever transmission because infected rodents can leave urine or faeces on food and household items. People may then come into contact with those contaminated materials. This makes controlling rodent exposure an important part of reducing the risk of infection in homes and communities.

The NCDC recommends proper environmental sanitation, storing food in rodent-proof containers and avoiding contact with rats. For example, a protected food container can prevent rats from reaching food and contaminating it. Good sanitation can also help limit conditions that allow rodents to come into contact with household spaces.

These measures do not replace all prevention efforts, because Lassa fever can also spread through an infected person’s bodily fluids. However, they address the main route described in the article: contamination caused by infected rodents. The NCDC emphasises limiting exposure to rodents as a way to reduce infections and prevent wider spread.

Lassa fever can spread from person to person through contact with an infected individual’s bodily fluids. Healthcare settings can therefore face particular risk because workers may care for infected patients. The article links easier spread in these settings to situations where appropriate infection-prevention and control measures are not implemented.

The key mechanism is exposure to bodily fluids. Infection-prevention and control measures are intended to stop that contact and limit transmission. The article does not identify specific equipment or procedures, so it is best to describe the measures generally rather than add details not provided in the report.

During epidemiological weeks 39 and 40, the NCDC reported no new Lassa fever infections among healthcare workers. That is a positive finding for the period reviewed, but the continuing outbreak means precautions remain necessary. The report recorded 1,138 confirmed cases and 268 deaths overall, showing why healthcare facilities must keep prevention measures in place.