Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC202536 (Poster 071) | Published: 01 Aug 2025
Amina Jummai Shehu1,&, Mayana Abubakar¹, Mohammed Abede1, Isiaq Hadji Shehu2, Jeremiah Daikwo3, Abdullahi Musa Garba4, Yetunde Abioye5, Sulaiman Iliyasu Hamisu6, Abdulwahab Kabir Sulaiman6, Muhammad Adamu Abbas6
1World Health Organization, Kano State Field Office, Kano State, Nigeria, 2Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Kaduna State, Nigeria, 3Ministry of Health, Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria, 4State Primary Health Care Board, Kaduna, Nigeria, 5Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria, 6Kano Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KNCDC), Kano State, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Amina Jummai Shehu, World Health Organization, Kano State Field Office, Nigeria. Email: amijummy@gmail.com, shehua@who.int
Received: 10 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 01 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Outbreak Investigation
Keywords: Lassa fever, outbreak response, surveillance, Nigeria, health worker safety
©Amina Jummai Shehu et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Amina Jummai Shehu et al., Concurrent Lassa fever outbreaks in Kaduna and Kano States, Nigeria: Lessons in health worker safety and emergency response. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00215. https://doi.org/10.37432/jieph-confpro5-00215
Lassa fever continues to pose a public health threat in Nigeria, particularly during the dry season. In 2025, Kaduna and Kano States experienced sequential outbreaks, prompting coordinated surveillance and emergency response efforts. This abstract summarizes programmatic experiences and key lessons in outbreak detection, health worker safety, and inter-agency coordination.
We conducted a retrospective review of surveillance, laboratory, and case management data from NCDC Kaduna and WHO Kano. Kaduna’s outbreak occurred from January through July (Epi Week 1–28), while Kano’s was reported in April (Epi Week 15). Data included suspected and confirmed cases, contact tracing efforts, and programmatic interventions.
Kaduna State recorded 54 suspected cases, 8 confirmed, and 5 deaths (CFR: 62.5%) across five LGAs, including 2 infections in healthcare workers. A total of 110 contacts were listed, with 2 confirmed positive and 4 symptomatic. Kano State reported 7 suspected cases, 2 confirmed, and 2 deaths (CFR: 28.6%) across six LGAs, with 55 contacts listed and 1 confirmed positive. No health worker infections were recorded in Kano. Both states demonstrated high follow-up rates with zero contacts lost.
The outbreaks underscore the importance of rapid detection, robust contact tracing, and effective communication. Kaduna’s higher burden and HCW infections highlight IPC gaps, while Kano’s outcomes reflect timely coordination and preventive practices. These experiences stress the need for continued investment in surveillance, emergency logistics, and inter-state collaboration.
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