The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, has urged Nigerians to begin preparations against Lassa fever before infections rise during the approaching dry season.
Idris gave the advice in Abuja on Wednesday at a news conference, emphasising that early action by government, health workers, communities and households was essential to reducing infections and preventing avoidable deaths.
He said Lassa fever occurred throughout the year, but cases tended to increase during the dry season, particularly between November and April, making early preparedness crucial to controlling transmission.
According to him, the period before the seasonal peak provided an important opportunity to strengthen prevention measures, improve preparedness and ensure health facilities can respond effectively.
He said lessons from the 2026 Lassa fever response showed that several challenges needed urgent attention before transmission increased, particularly delays in seeking care and healthcare worker infections.
“Delays in seeking appropriate medical care remained a major challenge, with some patients self-treating or visiting several healthcare providers before receiving proper care.
“We identified continued infections among healthcare workers, particularly when health facilities are under pressure and staff may encounter suspected cases without adequate protection,” he added.
Idris said persistent environmental and household risks, including poor sanitation, unsafe food storage and exposure to rodents, continued to contribute significantly to Lassa fever transmission.
He also identified limited state ownership, over-reliance on national resources and delays in releasing funds required for preparedness activities as major challenges affecting effective response efforts.
The NCDC boss said there was also a gap between healthcare capacity available on paper and what was actually functional when facilities needed to manage Lassa fever patients.
According to him, dialysis machines provided to some high-burden states were not always being used for Lassa fever patients, with some facilities deploying them for other medical conditions.
He said the experience reinforced the need to strengthen the entire healthcare pathway, from prevention and early detection through diagnosis, referral and treatment.
Idris said the agency’s accelerated readiness plan would focus on actions required between now and the expected peak of Lassa fever transmission across the country.
“The plan will be implemented nationwide, with additional attention and resources directed to areas where available evidence indicates a higher burden of the disease,” he said.
He said one priority was to detect cases earlier, ensure suspected infections were reported promptly and address laboratory requirements needed for effective diagnosis and response.
“We call for stronger measures to reduce rodent exposure through improved environmental sanitation, proper waste management and safer food handling and storage,” Idris said.
According to him, environmental health officers, agriculture officials and livestock personnel had important roles to play in preventing and controlling Lassa fever transmission.
He urged healthcare providers to recognise suspected Lassa fever cases early, protect themselves from infection, report cases promptly and ensure patients were appropriately referred for further management.
“Samples must be transported and tested quickly, with results returned to healthcare providers without unnecessary delays,” he said, stressing the importance of efficient laboratory systems.
“There is a need to strengthen infection prevention and control measures,” Idris said.
Idris added that healthcare workers should take appropriate precautions from the first point of contact.
“Treatment centres must remain ready to receive and properly manage patients, while states should ensure essential medicines, laboratory supplies and protective equipment are available,” he said.
Idris urged states to investigate every healthcare worker infection, follow up exposed workers and promptly address gaps identified during investigations to prevent further transmission within health facilities.
He called on healthcare workers to remember the message, “Think Lassa, protect, report and refer,” while maintaining a high index of suspicion when managing patients with compatible symptoms.
According to him, research is also needed to understand changing patterns in Lassa fever transmission, including the possible involvement of rodents other than Mastomys natalensis.
He said genomic sequencing capabilities were being used to better understand the virus and determine whether different strains contributed to observed epidemiological patterns across affected areas.
Idris said the agency would continue supporting research into candidate Lassa fever vaccines and rapid diagnostic tests to improve early detection, treatment and outbreak response.
For households, he urged Nigerians to protect food by storing rice, gari, beans, maize and other food items in properly covered containers inaccessible to rodents at all times.
He advised residents to block openings through which rodents could enter homes, reduce clutter and eliminate conditions that provided rodents with hiding places or attract them.
Idris also urged Nigerians to keep homes, markets and other surroundings clean, dispose of refuse properly and avoid direct contact with rodents, their urine, faeces and body fluids.
He advised people who developed fever or felt unwell, particularly those living in or travelling from areas where Lassa fever occurred, to seek appropriate medical care promptly.
The agency boss warned against prolonged self-treatment for presumed malaria, stressing that persistent symptoms required medical evaluation because not every fever was caused by malaria.
He further called on state and local governments to strengthen environmental sanitation, waste management, surveillance, laboratory referral pathways and treatment facilities before Lassa fever cases increased.
“Preparedness requires resources,” Idris said, urging state governments to provide adequate funding and support for health workers and other personnel involved in Lassa fever prevention and response.
Also speaking, Mr Sanitarian Collins, Assistant Chief Scientific Officer, Ministry of Environment, said the ministry was collaborating with NCDC to prevent Lassa fever through improved sanitation and rodent control.
Collins urged Nigerians to clear surrounding bushes, maintain clean environments and adopt preventive measures before the peak transmission period to reduce conditions that encouraged rodents to thrive.
According to him, prevention was more effective and less costly than waiting until cases increased, emphasising that late presentation often meant patients arrived at treatment centres with serious complications.
