… As experts push for stronger AFI surveillance to tackle lassa, dengue, other deadly diseases
BENIN CITY – Edo State has been listed among Nigeria’s worst-hit states in the latest update on Lassa fever by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), with the country recording 162 deaths from the disease as of August 31, 2025.
According to the NCDC’s situation report for epidemiological week 35, Edo accounts for 18 percent of all confirmed Lassa fever cases nationwide, ranking behind Ondo and Bauchi in the national burden chart.
Alongside Taraba and Ebonyi, the five states make up 91 percent of the total confirmed cases.
The Centre disclosed that 10 new cases were recorded in week 35, detected in Edo, Ondo, Bauchi and Taraba, an increase from three the previous week.
Cumulatively, Nigeria has reported 7,375 suspected cases and 871 confirmed infections this year, with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.6 percent, higher than the 17.1 percent recorded in 2024.
The report noted that most of those affected are between the ages of 21 and 30, with men slightly more affected than women. It attributed the high death toll to late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour due to treatment costs, and poor sanitation in communities most at risk.
Although no new healthcare worker infection was recorded in the last week of August, 23 health workers have been affected since the beginning of the year.
To stem the spread, the NCDC said it has deployed rapid response teams to affected states, including Edo, while also distributing ribavirin, personal protective equipment and sanitisers to treatment centres.
The agency further announced plans to roll out a five-year strategic plan (2025–2029) for sustained Lassa fever control.
It urged residents of Edo and other hotspot states to prioritise hygiene, strengthen rodent control and seek early medical care, warning that Lassa fever remains one of Nigeria’s deadliest recurrent outbreaks.
Meanwhile, health experts have called for stronger surveillance of Acute Febrile Illnesses (AFI) in Nigeria, warning that not every fever should be assumed to be malaria.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on AFI surveillance in Abuja, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and its partners said effective surveillance would help detect and respond to life-threatening diseases such as Lassa fever, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Mpox, which often mimic malaria symptoms.
The event was organised by NCDC with support from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), European partners and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN).
Experts noted that multiple dengue fever cases confirmed in Edo State this year were initially misdiagnosed as malaria, underscoring the dangers of weak detection systems.
Dr. Farah Husain, Programme Director, Division of Global Health Protection at US-CDC, said: “AFIs remain a major public health challenge because they present with similar symptoms, making diagnosis and response difficult. Strengthening surveillance will enhance early detection, improve laboratory capacity and enable effective outbreak response.”
NCDC’s Director of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Dr. Fatima Saleh, said the initiative had exposed new areas for expanding and improving the country’s surveillance system.
She urged policymakers to provide sustained funding and integrate AFI surveillance into national health strategies.
Prof. Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of the International Research Centre of Excellence at IHVN, stressed the importance of rapid testing, warning against indiscriminate use of drugs without diagnosis.
“Too often, people take drugs without even a simple test. We must encourage testing, especially when rapid malaria and dengue tests are available,” she said.
Other experts, including Dr. Oladipupo Ipadeola of the US-CDC and Mr. McPaul Okoye, US-CDC Laboratory Branch Chief in Nigeria, urged states to take responsibility for surveillance, warning that most molecular laboratories established during COVID-19 have been left idle.
They maintained that scaling up AFI surveillance would save lives, strengthen Nigeria’s health security and protect communities against future outbreaks.
Health workers at the community level were urged to treat unexplained fever as a potential AFI case and ensure proper testing before treatment.
