Nigeria, July 25 -- The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a decline in new confirmed Lassa fever infections but warned that the outbreak remains a serious public health threat as deaths continue to rise.

According to the agency's latest Lassa fever situation report for Epidemiological Week 27, Nigeria recorded 14 new confirmed infections, down from 31 cases reported in the previous week.

The latest cases were detected in Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Benue and Kogi states.

Despite the decline in fresh infections, the disease has claimed 224 lives so far in 2026. The case fatality rate has also risen to 23.9 per cent, compared with 18.9 per cent during the same period in 2025.

The NCDC said confirmed cases have...