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Nigeria has recorded 1,035 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 252 deaths across 23 states and 117 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the first 33 epidemiological weeks of 2026, with the fatality rate rising to 24.4 per cent.

The latest Lassa Fever Situation Report of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), covering August 10 to 16, showed that the country recorded 14 new confirmed cases and two deaths during epidemiological week 33.

The 2026 cumulative figures represent an increase from the 854 confirmed cases and 159 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025, when the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) stood at 18.6 per cent.

According to the report, the 14 new confirmed cases recorded in week 33 were reported in Ondo, Edo, Bauchi and Benue States, representing a sharp rise from the four cases recorded in epidemiological week 32.

The NCDC said five states accounted for the overwhelming majority of confirmed infections in the country, with 87 per cent of all confirmed cases reported from Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue states.

Ondo State accounted for 33 per cent of the cases, followed by Bauchi with 25 per cent, Taraba 13 per cent, Edo 10 per cent and Benue six per cent. The remaining 13 per cent of cases were reported across 18 other states.

The report further indicated that people aged 21 to 30 years constituted the predominant age group affected, although confirmed cases ranged from one to 93 years, with a median age of 30 years. The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases was 1:0.9.

The NCDC also disclosed that 54 healthcare workers have been affected by Lassa fever in 2026, although no new healthcare worker infection was recorded during week 33.

It said 12 patients were being managed at treatment centres during the reporting week, bringing the cumulative number of cases managed at treatment centres in 2026 to 783.

On contact tracing, the report said 2,007 contacts had been listed cumulatively, with 168 still under follow-up. A total of 1,836 contacts had completed follow-up, while 110 symptomatic contacts had been identified and 49 tested positive.

The NCDC said it had intensified interventions to contain the outbreak, including training healthcare workers, strengthening infection prevention and control measures, supporting active case search and contact tracing, and pre-positioning personal protective equipment and other supplies in health facilities.

It also said a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan had been developed to reduce infections among frontline health workers in endemic states, with support from the World Health Organisation and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency said National Rapid Response Teams had also been deployed across seven high-burden states, while Incident Management Systems for Lassa fever had been activated in Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Kano and Gombe states.

However, the NCDC identified late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour linked to the high cost of treatment, poor environmental sanitation, low awareness in high-burden communities and healthcare worker infections as major challenges to controlling the disease.

The agency urged states to sustain community engagement on Lassa fever prevention throughout the year, while advising healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, make timely referrals and commence treatment promptly, alongside strict adherence to infection prevention and control procedures.

The NCDC further called for stronger state capacity to prevent, detect and respond promptly to Lassa fever outbreaks.

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An Abuja-based hospital, Wellington Clinics, has denied involvement in alleged transactional organ harvesting linked to a kidney transplant performed at its facility, saying it neither participated in nor benefited from any financial arrangement involving the donor or recipient.

The hospital also disclosed that it had suspended all renal transplant-related services pending the conclusion of investigations into the circumstances surrounding the April 24, 2026 kidney operation.

The clarification came amid an ongoing investigation by the Nigeria Police Force into an alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking syndicate in Abuja and Nasarawa State.

Police recently arrested and paraded four suspects, including two medical doctors linked to Wellington Hospital, over allegations that a 22-year-old man, identified by the police as Samuel Ezekiel, was deceived into undergoing kidney removal at the Abuja facility.

The police alleged that the victim was paid $1,250, approximately N1.7million, for the kidney.

Wellington Clinics, however, said its records showed that the donor was admitted under the name Abubakar Hassan and that the procedure was conducted by a specialist team led by a Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Chief Executive Officer, Crown Medical and Kidney Centre, Dr Benjamin Oyimeh.

In a statement signed by its Director of Administration, Yemi Olatunbosun, and made available to journalists on Tuesday, the hospital said its involvement was limited to providing an equipped operating theatre and an appropriate environment for the procedure under a pre-agreed facility rental arrangement.

The clinic stated, “Wellington Clinics did not participate, facilitate, negotiate, or benefit from any transactional arrangements.”

It added that the procedure was carried out under the supervision of a licensed senior consultant nephrologist, and that the specialist team retained responsibility for the donor and recipient throughout the process.

According to the hospital, its collaboration model with specialist medical teams means that the lead consultant is responsible for patient recruitment, clinical evaluation, donor-recipient compatibility assessment, informed consent, ethical screening and other clinical and medico-legal matters.

The clinic said the consultant and his team were also responsible for ensuring compliance with the National Health Act 2014 and applicable guidelines of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

Wellington said the donor was admitted on April 24, 2026, as a scheduled kidney donor and underwent a left donor nephrectomy the same day.

The kidney, it said, was subsequently transplanted into a patient suffering from end-stage kidney failure.

The facility stressed that neither the donor nor recipient died as a result of the operation.

The hospital said the donor presented several documents during admission, including a court affidavit, digital National Identification Number slip, birth certificate issued by the National Population Commission, affidavit of consent and statutory declaration of age.

It added that the donor was accompanied by a man identified as Abubakar Isa, who was presented as his brother.

According to the statement, the hospital’s records showed that the donor was admitted as Abubakar Hassan, with a date of birth of February 4, 2000, and hospital number WCA/8066/2026.

Wellington said he was discharged on April 28, four days after the operation.

The hospital further disclosed that he was readmitted on July 11 for wound management and removal of residual stitches and discharged on July 13.

It explained that the donor had informed the hospital that he had travelled and was therefore unable to attend some of his earlier scheduled follow-up appointments.

The hospital’s account comes against the backdrop of the police allegation that the donor’s real name was Samuel Ezekiel and that his identity was allegedly changed for the purpose of the procedure.

The police investigation, according to reports, centres on allegations that vulnerable young people were recruited through deception and that documents were allegedly manipulated to facilitate kidney removal.

The police have not yet made a final determination on the culpability of the hospital, doctors or other persons connected to the case, and the allegations remain subject to investigation and due process.

Wellington, meanwhile, maintained that there was no indication at the time of admission that the documents presented by the donor were false or that his identity had been misrepresented.

The clinic stated, “Since the records department of Wellington relied on the above documents submitted on admission, as per the current level of practice, we were not aware or suspicious of any misrepresentation or manipulation of identity at the time.”

It further said it had no independent information suggesting that there was a financial or other transactional relationship involving the nephrology team, donor, recipient or any other person connected to the transplant.

The hospital argued that its role did not extend to conducting forensic investigations into the personal relationship between donors and recipients beyond the identification documents, declarations and other records presented as part of the medical process.

It said the donor was treated in its records as a consenting adult donor.

Wellington also denied knowledge of any alleged payment for the kidney, insisting that the facility’s understanding was that the transplant was being undertaken to save the life of a patient suffering from end-stage kidney disease.

The clinic said it had nevertheless taken the allegations seriously and decided to suspend its renal transplant-related services while the authorities investigate.

The statement said the hospital was “cooperating fully with the relevant investigative authorities probing the circumstances surrounding the kidney transplant.”

It added that the facility would abide by the outcome of the investigations.

The hospital said, “We remain committed to ethical and evidence-based healthcare and will continue to cooperate with all relevant investigative and regulatory authorities.”

The controversy comes at a particularly sensitive time for Nigeria’s organ-transplantation sector.

In March 2025, the Federal Government launched the Standards and Guidelines for Establishing and Coordinating Organ/Tissue Transplantation Services in Nigeria, aimed at strengthening ethical safeguards, transparency and accountability in transplantation.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said the framework was developed in response to concerns over unethical practices in organ transplantation and was designed to protect both donors and recipients. It identified ethics, donor protection, patient safety, minimum standards and compliance requirements among the key areas covered by the guidelines.

At the launch, the then Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, said the framework was intended to regulate organ and tissue transplantation and restore confidence in the system.

The ministry also said it planned to map and certify health institutions involved in organ donation and transplantation and establish an organ donation and transplantation registry and banking system.

The renewed attention to the issue also follows Nigeria’s broader struggle with ethical concerns surrounding organ transplantation, including allegations of exploitation of vulnerable people.

The Federal Government had acknowledged in 2025 that the country had witnessed troubling incidents involving unethical organ harvesting and other excesses in the transplantation space, stressing the need for stringent safeguards to protect donors and recipients.

Under the National Health Act, the use and allocation of human organs for transplantation are subject to prescribed procedures, while contravention of the relevant provisions, including charging a fee for a human organ, attracts criminal sanctions.

The police investigation gained national attention after allegations surfaced that Samuel Ezekiel, 22, was allegedly recruited and taken to Wellington Hospital in Life Camp, Abuja, for kidney removal. Police subsequently announced the arrest of Emmanuel Ode, Dr Benjamin Oyimeh, Dr Daniel Otukpa and David Idoko in connection with the alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking network.

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No fewer than 109 people have died from measles in Nigeria as outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable disease have been recorded in 71 local government areas across the country, according to data obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

The figures were contained in the Measles Situation Report obtained from the NCDC, which showed that 9,308 suspected measles cases were reported across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory during the first seven months of the year.

The agency stated that “7,713 of the suspected cases, representing 82.86 per cent, were confirmed, while 522 cases, representing 5.60 per cent, were discarded and 1,073 cases, or 11.52 per cent, were pending.”

The report put the case fatality ratio at 1.41 per cent, with 109 deaths recorded during the period.

According to the NCDC, “a total of 611 LGAs across 36 states and FCT reported at least one suspected case.”

The agency further stated that “the age group 9 – 59 months accounted for over 58.67% of the confirmed cases in 2026,” highlighting the heavy burden among children below five years of age.

The development comes amid continued efforts by the Federal Government and development partners to strengthen routine immunisation and prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases across the country.

Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases and spreads rapidly among people who are not immune. Children who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated are particularly vulnerable to severe disease and complications.

The NCDC data showed that the northern part of the country carried the larger share of the burden, recording 7,268 suspected cases and 6,601 confirmed cases during the period.

The southern states, meanwhile, recorded 2,040 suspected cases and 1,112 confirmed cases.

“Six northern states — Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Bauchi, Katsina and Kebbi — accounted for 62.82 per cent of the 9,308 suspected cases reported nationwide,” the report stated.

Borno recorded the highest number of suspected cases, with 2,673, of which 2,660 were confirmed.

Zamfara followed with 1,157 suspected cases and 1,142 confirmed cases, while Yobe recorded 792 suspected and 766 confirmed cases.

Bauchi had 471 suspected cases and 456 confirmed cases, Katsina recorded 414 suspected and 211 confirmed cases, while Kebbi had 341 suspected and 293 confirmed cases.

The concentration of cases in these states means that the six states alone accounted for more than three-fifths of all suspected measles infections recorded nationally during the period.

The report further showed that “282 of the 7,713 confirmed cases were laboratory-confirmed, while 1,802 were epidemiologically linked and 5,629 were clinically compatible.”

The classification indicates that the overwhelming majority of confirmed cases were clinically compatible rather than confirmed through laboratory testing.

The NCDC also reported that 522 suspected cases were discarded, while more than 1,000 remained pending at the time of the report.

The situation became particularly visible in July, when the country recorded 328 suspected measles cases across 27 states.

Of these, 223 cases, representing 67.98 per cent, were confirmed, while 105 cases, or 32.01 per cent, remained pending.

The agency said “a total of 123 LGAs across 27 states reported at least one suspected case” in July.

No death was recorded in the month, while the four laboratory-confirmed cases and 219 clinically compatible cases made up the 223 confirmed infections.

The July cases were heavily concentrated in seven states.

The NCDC reported that Kebbi, Kano, Ekiti, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Osun and Lagos accounted for 64.94 per cent of the 328 suspected cases recorded during the month.

Kebbi had the highest monthly burden with 54 suspected cases, followed by Kano with 40, Ekiti with 38, Ondo with 24, Akwa Ibom with 23, while Osun and Lagos each recorded 17 suspected cases.

The spread across both northern and southern states demonstrates that measles transmission was not confined to one geographical zone during the reporting period.

The NCDC’s outbreak surveillance also showed that the situation remained fluid, with fresh outbreaks emerging even as others were being brought under control.

The agency reported that three LGAs recorded new measles outbreaks in July.

They were Ijero in Ekiti State, Gabasawa in Kano State and Wase in Plateau State.

Three other LGAs — Kirfi in Bauchi State, Gwoza in Borno State and Langtang South in Plateau State — had ongoing outbreaks as of July 31.

However, the NCDC said 65 LGAs had ended their measles outbreaks by the end of the month.

Overall, 71 LGAs had recorded an outbreak as of July 31, 2026, according to the situation report.

The state-level figures revealed substantial differences in the geographical distribution of suspected and confirmed cases.

In Borno, 24 LGAs reported suspected cases, and all 24 also recorded confirmed cases.

In Zamfara, 15 LGAs reported suspected cases and all 15 recorded confirmed cases, while Yobe had 16 LGAs with suspected cases and all 16 recorded confirmed cases.

Bauchi had 17 LGAs with suspected cases, all of which also recorded confirmed cases.

Katsina recorded suspected cases in 33 LGAs, with 31 reporting confirmed cases.

Kano had 22 LGAs reporting suspected cases, while 19 recorded confirmed cases.

Kebbi recorded suspected cases in 18 LGAs, with confirmed cases reported in 15.

The data from some southern states also showed widespread geographical transmission.

Akwa Ibom had suspected cases in 32 LGAs, with 25 recording confirmed cases.

Oyo recorded suspected cases in 32 LGAs, although only eight recorded confirmed cases.

Osun had 30 LGAs with suspected cases and 18 with confirmed cases, while Imo recorded suspected cases in 27 LGAs and confirmed cases in 23.

Delta recorded suspected cases in 25 LGAs, with 24 having confirmed cases.

Lagos recorded suspected cases in 17 LGAs, with 14 reporting confirmed cases.

The NCDC figures also showed wide variations in the proportion of suspected cases that were subsequently classified as confirmed.

Borno recorded a 99.5 per cent confirmation rate, with 2,660 confirmed cases out of 2,673 suspected cases.

Zamfara recorded 98.7 per cent, while Bauchi had 96.8 per cent and Yobe 96.7 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, Oyo recorded a confirmation rate of 15.8 per cent, Ogun 22.2 per cent, Lagos 29.4 per cent, Osun 31.3 per cent, Plateau 35.6 per cent and Kogi 33.7 per cent.

The report also recorded high confirmation rates in several other states. Abia recorded 94.5 per cent, Delta 91.2 per cent, Rivers 92 per cent, Sokoto 88.3 per cent, and Niger 87.5 per cent.

The NCDC’s findings are particularly important because of the vulnerability of young children to measles complications.

The agency noted that children aged nine to 59 months accounted for 58.67 per cent of confirmed cases in 2026, compared with 47.54 per cent in 2025.

The concentration of confirmed infections within this age group reinforces the importance of ensuring that children receive measles-containing vaccines at the appropriate ages and that missed children are identified and reached through routine and supplementary immunisation activities.

According to the World Health Organisation, measles can cause serious complications including pneumonia, diarrhoea, dehydration, blindness and encephalitis, and vaccination remains the most effective means of prevention.

Nigeria has continued to implement immunisation campaigns aimed at closing immunity gaps and reaching children who may have been missed by routine services.

However, public health experts have continued to identify insecurity, displacement, hard-to-reach communities, weak access to healthcare services, misinformation and other barriers as challenges to achieving consistently high vaccination coverage.

The NCDC’s surveillance figures also highlight the importance of early detection and response at the LGA level.

With 611 LGAs reporting at least one suspected case between January and July, the burden extends far beyond the 71 LGAs that met the criteria for an outbreak.

This means that while outbreak response remains critical, maintaining routine surveillance across communities is equally important to ensure that new clusters are detected before they expand.

The distinction between suspected cases, confirmed cases and outbreak LGAs is also significant. A suspected case does not automatically constitute a confirmed infection, while an outbreak reflects sustained transmission or a cluster meeting the relevant surveillance criteria.

The NCDC’s July report showed that 105 suspected cases remained pending, indicating that surveillance and case classification were still ongoing at the end of the reporting period.

The agency’s public health laboratory services are responsible for diagnostic services for measles and other diseases of public health importance, while laboratory capacity supports confirmation and outbreak response.

The situation report therefore presents a mixed picture: outbreaks have been successfully ended in dozens of LGAs, but new outbreaks continue to emerge, while thousands of confirmed infections and more than 100 deaths have been recorded.

For children aged nine months to five years, who account for the largest proportion of confirmed infections, maintaining high vaccination coverage is particularly critical.

The NCDC figures put the scale of the challenge into sharp perspective: 9,308 suspected cases, 7,713 confirmed cases, 109 deaths, 611 affected LGAs and 71 LGAs with recorded outbreaks between January and July 2026.

With new outbreaks recorded in Ekiti, Kano and Plateau in July, health authorities will need to sustain surveillance, vaccination and rapid response measures to prevent further spread, particularly among children most vulnerable to severe measles disease.

Source: PUNCH