ABUJA, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of the Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria has risen to 127, public health authorities said Tuesday.

A total of 674 confirmed cases have been recorded from 4,025 suspected cases reported since the onset of the outbreak in January, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said in a statement.

Eighteen out of the 36 states in the most populous African country have been affected by the viral hemorrhagic disease so far this year, with the southern states of Ondo and Edo and the northern state of Bauchi the worst-hit, accounting for more than 70 percent of the total confirmed cases, the NCDC said.

The NCDC put the case fatality rate at 18.8 percent, slightly higher than the 18.5 percent reported during the same period in 2024.

Young adults between the ages of 21 and 30 are the most affected, with the median age of infection reported at 30 years, the public health agency said. It noted that more males than females had been affected, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8.

The NCDC identified poor health-seeking behavior, high treatment costs in some areas, and limited awareness in high-burden communities as major challenges. It has activated a multi-sectoral incident management system to coordinate nationwide response efforts.

In 2024, Nigeria reported 214 deaths from Lassa fever, according to the NCDC.

Lassa fever is primarily spread through food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or feces. Human transmission occurs through direct contact with rat saliva, urine, or excrement. Enditem

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