By Ijeoma Nwanosike

Nigeria recorded 33 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever in Epidemiological Week 49, with the national Case Fatality Rate (CFR) rising to 18.2 per cent, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The agency reported that the new infections, from Bauchi, Ondo, Edo, and Taraba states, brought the cumulative number of confirmed cases in 2025 to 1,069, with eight deaths recorded during the period.

In its Lassa Fever Situation Report covering December 1 to 7, 2025, the NCDC said the eight deaths translated to a CFR of 24.2 per cent for the week. It added that a total of 9,041 suspected cases and seven probable cases had been reported nationwide this year, with cumulative deaths rising to 195, resulting in an overall CFR of 18.2 per cent, higher than the 16.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.

The agency reported that 21 states and 103 local councils have recorded at least one confirmed Lassa fever case this year. It stated that four states, including Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, and Taraba, accounted for 89 per cent of all confirmed infections, with Ondo recording the highest number of incidents, followed by Bauchi, Edo, and Taraba.

According to the report, young adults, aged 21 to 30 years, were the most affected, although infections were recorded across all age groups, ranging from one to 96 years.

The NCDC noted that cases were slightly higher among males than females and confirmed that no new infections among healthcare workers were recorded during the week under review.

The agency said it continued to coordinate a national multi-partner response through its Lassa fever Technical Working Group, explaining that its activities during the period included behavioural assessments in high-burden states, training of healthcare workers, infection prevention and control audits, community sensitisation, deployment of rapid response teams, and the strengthening of laboratory and treatment capacity across affected states.

MEANWHILE, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) has disclosed that Nigeria currently has only one World Health Organisation (WHO)-prequalified antimalarial product, as it steps up efforts to train pharmaceutical companies to close the prequalification gap and expand local participation in the global antimalarial market.

The institute disclosed this at a four-day Technical Support and Capacity Workshop for Pharmaceutical Companies, organised under the National Malaria Elimination Programme, with support from the World Bank.

The workshop, which held in Lagos, was to empower local manufacturers with the technical capacity to meet WHO prequalification (PQ) standards for antimalarial medicines as well as position them to tap into the $161 million WHO antimalarial market.

According to NIPRD, Nigeria currently has only one WHO-prequalified antimalarial product, manufactured by Swiss Pharma Nigeria, underscoring the need to expand local capacity.

Against this backdrop, the training was structured to guide pharmaceutical companies through the WHO prequalification application process, including requirements for documentation, bioavailability and bioequivalence studies, and robust laboratory quality assurance systems.

Speaking on the objective of the workshop, NIPRD Director-General, Dr Obi Adigwe, said the programme was focused on providing hands-on technical support on the WHO PQ application process.

Represented by his Technical Adviser on pharma and industry, Dr Mercy Aboh, the DG stated that manufacturers must understand key requirements, including documentation, bioavailability and bioequivalence studies, as well as laboratory quality assurance systems.

He identified limited awareness, funding challenges, outdated or non-standardised equipment and weak technical capacity as major barriers preventing local manufacturers from attaining WHO prequalification.

On funding, he acknowledged that the WHO PQ process is capital-intensive, but noted that the workshop exposed participants to various funding platforms and government-backed support mechanisms.

The Director and Project Manager of the IMPACT project under the National Malaria Initiative, Okoko Okefu Oyale, said WHO-prequalification would enable Nigerian manufacturers to compete locally and internationally.

In a post-presentation briefing, the lead consultant to NIPRD on pharmaceutical industry technical support, Adesola Arowolo, stated that the workshop was structured to demystify the WHO-prequalification process and encourage companies to begin the journey.

Dr Christopher Akunyili of Mecure described the workshop as an eye-opener, saying it expanded his understanding beyond regulatory compliance to the strategic and economic value of WHO prequalification.