“These were reported from Ondo (51), Edo (48), Taraba (8), Benue (5), Nasarawa (5), Bauchi (5), Ebonyi (3), Plateau (3), Kogi (3), Anambra (2), Delta (1), FCT (1), Adamawa (1), and Enugu (1) States,” NCDC said in a report.

The agency also said that number of suspected cases increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2022.

Lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness spread by the common African rat.

It is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria. Neighboring countries are also at risk because the animal vector lives throughout the region.

The first documented case occurred in 1969. Lassa fever is named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases occurred. (ILKHA)