Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria are exposing dangerous inadequacies in Nigeria’s health-security system in disease detection, lab capacity, treatment, immunisation, sanitation and community monitoring.
The disclosure is coming against the backdrop of a cholera outbreak that has produced over 65,000 suspected cases across 35 states and around 195 Local Government Areas this year, according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Daily Independent writes.
Weekly cases show a downward trend but the NCDC has cautioned transmission is still occurring and Nigeria could expect another increase between late August and October as the rainy season progresses.
The possibility of flooding, contaminated water and inadequate sanitation might undo hard-won improvements, prompting fresh concerns about whether Nigeria is effectively prepared to control epidemics before they become full-blown emergencies.
Similarly, Nigeria reported 14 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever between 10 and 16 August, 2026, bringing the total number of confirmed cases so far this year to 1,035 with 252 deaths documented, NCDC said.
But Lassa fever and diphtheria are also putting communities under pressure, and public health experts are saying that Nigeria can no longer afford a mostly reactive approach to disease epidemics.
Professor Sunday Olajide Awofisayo, Public Health and Biomedical Research Advocate, said the government must urgently move beyond an overreliance on emergency reaction and develop a sustainable system that can detect, treat and manage infections before they escalate.
He cautioned about the ongoing transmission of Lassa fever, a seasonal recurrent epidemic, particularly in the dry season.
As of Epidemiological Week 8 of 2026, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) reported cases and deaths in 18 states across 67 Local Government Areas. Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo and Benue account for more than 80 per cent of confirmed cases.
Healthcare professionals have also been harmed, showing ongoing vulnerabilities in infection prevention and control, and putting front-line responders themselves at danger.
Another great danger is diphtheria. Nigeria reported the greatest number of diphtheria infections in the WHO African Region between January to November 2025, with more than 12 000 suspected cases, more than 8 500 confirmed cases and 884 deaths.
The NCDC also disclosed that it had recorded over 10,000 confirmed cases of diphtheria this year, despite the case fatality rate having dropped significantly compared to the same period last year.
Confirmed cases have been documented in 240 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 30 states with poor vaccination coverage being a key driver of ongoing transmission.
“A major vulnerability is the large numbers of under-immunised and zero-dose children. Protection is further undermined by vaccine hesitancy, insecurity, displacement, population movement and difficulty in reaching underserved communities,” Awofisayo added.
In each of the three diseases he identified a disturbing pattern of vulnerabilities: inadequate laboratory capacity and specimen transport, limited specialised treatment and supportive care, shortages of essential medicines and vaccines, inadequate funding, weak surveillance, insufficient health-care personnel, and infection-control gaps.
When patients come in late, the repercussions can be devastating.
Delayed presentation is still attributed to poor recognition of symptoms, self-medication, financial obstacles and dependence on informal care, but late recognition and treatment can significantly impair outcomes, especially in Lassa fever.
Cholera, however, shows the limits of a treatment-based approach once transmission has taken place.
The drop in cholera mortality was encouraging, NCDC’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said, but should not foster a false sense of security.
He emphasised that unsafe water, open defecation, degraded water infrastructure and inadequate sanitation in schools, markets and other public places are still the key causes of gearbox.
“The NCDC has scaled up surveillance, lab support, case management, infection prevention and control, community engagement and rapid response operations while cholera interventions comprise water quality assessments, chlorination, rehabilitation of water sources and oral cholera vaccination in high burden communities.
Idris, however, warned that federal assistance alone would not be adequate and urged state and Local Government authorities to devote resources to high-risk communities.
Awofisayo urged for continuous training of healthcare personnel, bigger and well-equipped regional laboratories, better specimen transportation, increased treatment readiness, real-time surveillance, contact tracing and community-based surveillance in high-risk areas.
He also called for the acceleration of routine and targeted vaccination, identification of zero-dose children, protection of health personnel and predictability of domestic funds for epidemic preparedness.
For Awofisayo, results must also be the measure of preparedness. Governments and response agencies should undertake public reporting of diagnostic delays, laboratory turnaround times, treatment start, case-fatality rates, vaccine coverage, contact tracing and outbreak-reaction timeframes.
He said that every death that could have been prevented should prompt a review of what went wrong, where the delay took place and what needs to be put right.
The most important thing is this: Nigeria cannot afford to wait for breakouts to snowball before responding.
“They are not just medical problems, Lassa fever and diphtheria are tests of our health-security system,” said Awofisayo, adding that action is required before outbreaks become emergencies.
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