At least 400 individuals have lost their lives due to cholera and Lassa fever outbreaks nationwide from January to September 2025, as reported by the World Health Organisation and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
A report from the World Health Organization, exclusively obtained by our reporter on Thursday, showed that Nigeria had 234 fatalities from cholera and 9,738 confirmed cases between January 1 and August 31, resulting in a Case Fatality Rate of 2.4 percent.
In just the last 28 days, the nation recorded 2,926 new infections and 67 fatalities, marking an 11 percent growth in cases and a 56 percent surge in deaths from the prior month.
An acute intestinal infection caused by ingesting contaminated food or water, cholera has frequently occurred in Nigeria, typically associated with inadequate sanitation, unsafe water sources, and flooding. The WHO stated that without sustained investment in water and sanitation systems, the nation will continue to be at risk for periodic outbreaks.
In its regional summary, the WHO mentioned that Africa reported 15,487 new cholera cases in 15 countries during August, with the largest numbers coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (6,562), Nigeria (2,926), and South Sudan (2,924).
The area also reported 495 fatalities during the same month, with Nigeria placing third following the DRC (255) and Chad (82).
From January 1 to August 31, 2025, the African Region documented 186,787 instances of cholera and 4,194 fatalities, with South Sudan, the DRC, and Angola being the most affected.
WHO emphasized that the worldwide cholera response is being hindered by inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure, insufficient vaccine availability, financial shortfalls, and limited access in regions affected by conflict.
In the meantime, the NCDC reported that 166 fatalities caused by Lassa fever were documented in Nigeria from January 1 to September 14, 2025.
The current CFR has increased to 18.5 percent, surpassing the 16.9 percent observed in the same timeframe in 2024.
By the end of epidemiological Week 37, the nation had documented 7,673 suspected cases and 895 verified instances of Lassa fever in 21 states and 106 Local Government Areas.
The NCDC stated, “During week 37, the number of newly confirmed cases dropped from 13 in week 36 of 2025 to 11. These were recorded in Ondo, Bauchi, Kogi, and Anambra States. In total, 166 deaths have been reported, resulting in a Case Fatality Rate of 18.5 per cent, which is greater than the CFR for the same period in 2024.”
According to the data, 90 percent of confirmed cases originated from five states — Ondo (33 percent), Bauchi (23 percent), Edo (18 percent), Taraba (13 percent), and Ebonyi (3 percent). The other 10 percent were distributed among 16 additional states.
Most cases were observed in individuals between the ages of 21 and 30, with a male-to-female ratio of 1 to 0.8.
The NCDC reported that no additional cases of health workers being infected were documented throughout the week.
Both the WHO and NCDC highlighted that although there has been improvement in response actions, issues like instability, lack of supplies, poor infrastructure, and insufficient funding still impede successful outbreak management.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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