A young Nigerian doctor, fresh from a trip to the United Kingdom, has tragically lost his life to Lassa fever—just days after his return to the country.
The 31-year-old physician, whose name has been withheld for privacy, reportedly passed away on March 1, 2025, leaving friends, family, and colleagues in utter shock.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the late doctor had only returned to Nigeria on February 27, after spending time abroad. Not long after, he fell ill and was admitted to a private health facility in Ondo State—but sadly, he didn’t make it.
The NCDC, in a statement released on Sunday, March 9, confirmed that the physician’s illness was later diagnosed as Lassa fever through PCR testing. Samples had been collected on February 28, but the result came back after his passing.
And here’s the part that’s raising brows—before falling ill, the doctor reportedly visited his fiancée in Edo State and also spent time with friends and family. That’s a trail of possible contact points that public health officials are now scrambling to trace.
The NCDC warns that Nigeria is in the peak season of Lassa transmission, which runs from October to May, and the numbers are not looking good. So far, in 2025 alone, 2,728 suspected cases, 535 confirmed cases, and 98 deaths have been reported across 14 states.
Ondo State, where the doctor was treated, tops the list of most affected states with 31% of all confirmed cases, followed closely by Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi.
The most hit local government areas include Owo, Akure South, Etsako West, Kirfi, and Esan North-East, among others.