NCDC Begins Early Lassa Fever Preparations, Warns Against Self-Medication
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
With Nigeria’s dry season approaching, health authorities are moving to close gaps in Lassa fever preparedness before infections begin to rise.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) Dr Jide Idris, said Lassa fever occurs throughout the year but typically increases between November and February, making early preparation critical to preventing avoidable infections and deaths.
The DG said lessons from the 2026 response showed persistent challenges, including delayed care-seeking, self-medication, healthcare-worker infections, poor sanitation, unsafe food storage and exposure to rodents.
The agency is therefore adopting a One Health approach, bringing together the health, environment, agriculture and livestock sectors, as well as states, local governments and communities.
He said authorities are also paying closer attention to emerging scientific questions.
While Mastomys natalensis remains the principal known reservoir of Lassa virus, research has detected the virus in other rodent species, raising questions about their possible role in transmission.
Scientists are also studying asymptomatic infections and how they may contribute to the spread of the disease.
The NCDC will continue supporting genomic sequencing to understand circulating strains and risk factors, alongside research into vaccines and faster diagnostic tests.
For households, the DG urged Nigerians to store food securely, keep homes and surroundings clean, block possible rodent entry points and avoid contact with rodents, their urine and faeces.
He also warned Nigerians not to assume every fever is malaria.
“If you develop a fever or feel unwell, seek care promptly,” he urged, particularly for people living in or travelling from areas where Lassa fever is known to occur.
He called on state and local governments to strengthen sanitation and waste management, maintain functional surveillance systems, ensure clear laboratory referral pathways and keep treatment centres stocked with essential medicines, laboratory supplies and infection-prevention materials.
The central message, he said, is simple: preparedness must begin before cases surge, not after.
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