Lassa fever, also known as haemorrhagic fever, has continued to rattle Nigerians in different states, especially Taraba, Katsina and Bauchi states in Northern Nigeria, as one out of four infected persons die.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said Bauchi State recorded 68 deaths and 311 confirmed Lassa fever cases between October 1, 2025, and March 23, 2026.

Outreach teams also operate in Bauchi, Kirfi, Toro, and Tafawa Balewa council areas, focusing on early detection, isolation, and referrals.

MSF official, Abdulkareem Yakubu, said the group is training health workers and tackling misinformation.

Emergency Programme Manager, Dr Ayokunnu Raji, noted that symptoms often mimic malaria.

MSF said Lassa fever spreads through contaminated food or contact with infected fluids. While most cases are mild, severe infections could be fatal.

Nigeria recorded 516 cases and 135 deaths this year, a 31 per cent increase.

The organisation is responding in six states, and plans to upgrade the Bauchi centre into a training hub.

In Taraba State alone, 50 persons were confirmed killed by the disease at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jalingo, between November 2025 and March 2026.

Abubakar Kirim, a physician at the tertiary health facility, which is the biggest hospital in Taraba, confirmed that the state had recorded the largest number of infections this year, calling on all tiers of government to step in with advocacy and preventive measures.

Kirim, who is the Head of Clinical Services at the FMC, Jalingo, also disclosed that the hospital is battling with an acute shortage of medical doctors to cope with the epidemic.

He said the locals’ lack of awareness is behind the rising cases.

RELATEDLY, fatality rate has risen in Katsina State, as new cases are being recorded, according to the Infectious Diseases Consultant at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, Mohammed Sani Abubakar.

He raised the alarm over a disturbing shift in the pattern and severity of the current outbreak in the country.

Abubakar, who is also State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), said the disease is proving deadlier this year, with a sharp rise in the number of deaths recorded among confirmed cases.

According to him, from January to date, more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed cases have been recorded nationwide, with about 145 deaths.

Abubakar said the outbreak, which usually peaks between January and March, has taken a different geographical pattern this year.

He explained that while previous outbreaks were concentrated in the North-East, particularly Borno and Yobe states, and parts of the South-South, especially Edo State, more than 90 per cent of current cases are now concentrated in five frontline states: Benue, Ondo, Taraba, Edo and Plateau.

“This shift may not be unconnected with climate change, insecurity, displacement of communities, poor hygiene and increased movement of rodents into homes,” he said.

Abubakar disclosed that Katsina State has recorded three confirmed cases of Lassa fever, with two deaths reported in Funtua and Kafur Local Government Areas.

This is as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in Nigeria this year, communities faced a particularly severe Lassa fever season since January, as the country recorded 516 cases and 135 deaths, a 31 per cent increase in deaths compared to the same period in 2025.

“Lassa fever is a disease that essentially disguises itself,” explains Ayokunnu Raji, MSF’s emergency medical programme manager. “At the beginning, symptoms are very similar to other common illnesses in Nigeria, such as malaria or typhoid – so by the time many patients arrive at our treatment centre, they are already critically ill.”