By Faridat Salifu
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has linked the continued spread and rising fatality rate of Lassa fever in Nigeria to persistent environmental lapses, including poor sanitation, weak waste management, and widespread rodent infestation in vulnerable communities.
In a situation report released Monday, the agency disclosed that 152 people have died of Lassa fever in the first 28 weeks of 2025, with 811 confirmed cases and over 6,520 suspected infections recorded across 21 states.
The 2025 case fatality rate now stands at 18.7 percent—higher than the 17.3 percent recorded during the same period in 2024.
NCDC officials say the increase in deaths is not only a health systems issue but also a direct consequence of the unsanitary environments in which millions of Nigerians live.
“Poor environmental sanitation in affected areas continues to hinder effective control of the disease,” the agency said, pointing to refuse dumps, open food storage, and poor drainage systems as major contributors to the thriving population of disease-carrying rats.
Lassa fever is primarily transmitted to humans through contact with the urine or faeces of infected rodents, especially the multimammate rat, which thrives in dirty, overcrowded settings and often gains access to homes through cracked walls, uncovered drains, and open food containers.
Health officials and environmental experts have long warned that unless Nigeria addresses the root causes of rodent-human contact, particularly in urban slums and peri-urban settlements, Lassa fever outbreaks will persist year after year.
The NCDC noted that while confirmed case numbers have declined slightly compared to 2024, the increase in fatalities highlights systemic challenges—including late reporting, poor public awareness, and environmental neglect.
Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, and Ebonyi states remain the most affected, with communities in these areas grappling with poor waste disposal infrastructure and insufficient rodent control programmes.
To mitigate these risks, the agency and its partners have launched environmental health campaigns and community sensitisation drives targeting hygiene behaviour and safe food storage.
In addition, ten National Rapid Response Teams have been deployed using a One Health approach that integrates environmental, human, and animal health strategies.
Community-focused interventions include sanitation campaigns in high-burden areas, distribution of rodent-proof food storage containers, and education on keeping homes free from rat infestation.
The NCDC, with support from organisations such as WHO, Nigeria Health Watch, and Pro-Health International, is also coordinating clean-up operations in informal settlements and high-risk markets where the disease tends to flourish.
Health workers in Bauchi, Ebonyi, and Benue have received training not just in clinical response but in advising patients on how to improve hygiene and environmental safety at the household level.
The agency warned that without stronger community engagement on environmental health, including waste segregation, sealed food storage, and elimination of open garbage sites, Nigeria may continue to battle annual surges in Lassa fever cases.
The public is advised to seal homes against rodent entry, keep environments clean, dispose of refuse properly, and seek medical care early if symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or bleeding appear.
“Environmental protection and hygiene are not just aesthetic issues—they are frontline defences against deadly outbreaks,” the agency said.
