Lassa Fever Exposes Nigeria’s Broken Health System
By DIANA CHUKWUKA
Experts Warn of a National Health Breakdown as Lassa Fever Tightens Its Grip
An Epidemic Years in the Making
HEALTH experts are sounding the alarm as Lassa fever once again exposes deep cracks in Nigeria’s public health system. Despite being endemic and well-documented, the virus continues to overwhelm hospitals, kill healthcare workers, and exploit systemic neglect.
In 2025, the NCDC confirmed 206 deaths, with fatality rates climbing above historical averages. For experts, these numbers reflect not chance, but failure.
Surveillance Gaps and Collapsing Infrastructure
Dr. Godswill Iboma, senior lecturer at Eko University of Medicine and former Lagos State Chief Medical Officer, described Nigeria’s epidemic response as fractured and poorly coordinated.
“Our early warning systems are weak, diagnostics are delayed, and emergency response infrastructure—including ambulances—has collapsed in many areas,” Iboma said.
According to him, the absence of decentralised diagnostic capacity means outbreaks are detected too late for effective containment.
Misdiagnosis and Limited Treatment Centres
Lassa fever’s early symptoms often mimic malaria, leading to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. By the time laboratory confirmation is achieved, many patients have deteriorated beyond recovery.
Only a handful of states possess functional treatment centres, forcing patients to travel long distances while critically ill. Chronic underfunding, Iboma said, has left rural health facilities dilapidated and understaffed.
Socioeconomic and Environmental Traps
Poverty, overcrowding, and inadequate housing continue to heighten exposure. In some communities, rodents are consumed as protein, while poor waste disposal sustains rodent populations.
“These outbreaks are not accidental,” Iboma stressed. “They are the result of environmental neglect, poverty, and policy failure.”
A Call for Urgent Structural Reform
Iboma warned that without aggressive surveillance, improved sanitation, and strong political will, Lassa fever will remain an annual killer. He called for nationwide public education and urgent investment in vaccine research, noting that no approved human vaccine currently exists.
