Nigeria is currently plagued by Lassa fever, meningitis, diphtheria. These communicable diseases have become a troubling feature in the country’s public health landscape. BENJAMIN SAMSON in this report speaks with experts on reasons for recurrent cases and what can be done to stop yearly outbreaks.
Lassa fever
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), 118 lives were lost to Lassa fever during the first quarter of this year.
This was contained in a statement released recently by the Head of Corporate Communications at NCDC, Sani Datti.
According to the statement, 3,465 suspected cases were recorded between January and March, spanning 91 local government areas (LGAs) and 33 states. Of these, 645 cases were laboratory-confirmed, resulting in a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.3 per cent.
Meningitis
Similarly, the NCDC raised concerns over the increasing number of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) cases across the country. The latest figures indicate a surge in infections, with 807 suspected cases and 74 deaths reported across 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as of March 26, 2025.
Diphtheria
Likewise, a situation report from the NCDC indicates that as from week 19 of 2022 to week 10 of 2025 (March 9, 2025), the country witnessed 1,319 deaths from 25,812 confirmed cases and 42,642 suspected cases in 36 states, the FCT, and 350 local government areas.
The report showed the prevalence in Kano, Yobe, Bauchi, Katsina, Borno, Plateau, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, and the FCT, while deaths occurred in Kano (850); Katsina (114); Yobe (109); Bauchi (104); Borno (68); and Plateau (29). Other states were Kaduna (11); Jigawa (seven); FCT (seven); Lagos (six); Sokoto (five); Adamawa (four); Edo (two); Gombe (one); Nasarawa (one); Osun (one); and Ekiti (one).
Rhetoric
Speaking with this reporter, a consultant at University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Dr. Ulan Yelkwkat, attributed the yearly reoccurrence of infectious diseases to the failure of relevant authorities to live up to their responsibilities.
He said, “It is unfortunate that for decades, preventable diseases like meningitis, diphtheria, Lassa fever, and other communicable diseases have been a recurring epidemic in Nigeria, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people, especially children. The spread becomes worse where the environment is not clean, and sanitation is not taken seriously. And that is partly because relevant authorities are not living up to their responsibilities.
“Every year, especially during dry and rainy seasons, Many Nigerians, especially children, die from different preventable diseases. It has become a vicious cycle and a recurring nightmare. Yet, the authorities respond in the same way as in previous years with the same result.
“Nigeria should establish more primary health care centres and sensitise the populace, especially the rural dwellers, to imbibe the culture of personal hygiene. The country can curb the disease by producing vaccines and other medicaments domestically.
“It is of little comfort that the NCDC has activated an emergency response centre as it did in previous years. Nigeria needs to overhaul its healthcare system. It is ranked 11th out of 12 countries with the worst healthcare systems globally.
“Nigeria finds itself in the company of the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, among other poorly performing countries.
“Access to quality healthcare is poor, and many Nigerians are dying needlessly as a result. The country must stop paying lip service to health issues.
“To treat themselves, wealthy Nigerians troop overseas for medical tourism. Governors, lawmakers, civil servants, and politicians treat themselves abroad. The Nigerian Medical Association estimates the annual outlay on medical tourism overseas at $1 billion.”
Also, a public health physician, who practises in the United States of America, Dr. Yusuf Mikyau, accused authorities in Nigeria of not prioritising health care.
He said, “Nigeria misplaces its priorities. Put differently, Nigeria does not prioritise the health of its citizens because the acclaimed cash shortfall is not an excuse. Cuba, a small island of 11 million people, has little money to boast of, yet its healthcare system is rated the best in the world by the WHO. The Latin American country prioritises its people’s health.
“Cuba’s health success story is anchored on prevention, rather than cure. Medical education is free, and access to free healthcare is a fundamental human right backed by the Cuban constitution.
“Doctors and a team of nurses and other specialists live among the people, frequently checking up on them, taking their blood pressure and heart readings, and asking about their jobs and environments.”
Continuing, he said, “The feedback makes for better planning and effective response to people’s health needs. Infant and adult mortalities are lower in Cuba than in the United States, and life expectancy is similar despite the US spending two times more than Cuba in per capita health budgeting.
“Good health care is not necessarily about money. The Cuban government’s ethics and values are compulsorily taught as part of its healthcare system. The doctors are exported all over the globe, while people troop into the island nation for its special surgery services. This generates money for Cuba.
“There are eight doctors for every 1, 000 Cubans. This is higher than double the U.S. and the United Kingdom ratios. In Nigeria, the ratio is one doctor to 9, 083 patients. This must change.”
Role of states
On his part, Dr. Francis Faduyile, a former president of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), told this reporter that states have a great role to play in epidemic preparedness. He accused states of not doing enough to prevent infectious diseases in their domain.
He said, “States have the primary responsibility of preparing the health care sector for epidemic response and other health emergencies. When they fall short in this duty, the system becomes fragile and unable to fulfill its primary function. When states do not adequately fund the system and prepare for epidemics, they will eventually spend more money, lose personnel, cause pain to the populace, and weaken the entire healthcare system.
“To prepare for outbreaks and emergencies, you must have the officers in place; you must have protocols and periodic training during which people are trained to know what to do and what is expected of them. All these are necessary for the appropriate response that is needed from the health workers at the state level if we have an epidemic outbreak.
“How many states can boast of having the requisite equipment to detect some of these emerging or re-emerging diseases that are causing epidemics? When Covid-19 came, we barely had anything. It was a far cry from what was expected.
“It is better to get the necessary things in place and prepare for epidemic outbreaks before they come, because when the outbreaks come, there will be no time to prepare and get ready again. The states need to put all the measures in place. Preparation for emerging and re-emerging diseases is very important. Human beings are exposed to things that could lead to disease outbreaks every day,” he said.
Dr. Ugochukwu Golibe, a public health expert, echoes the sentiment of Dr. Faduyile, saying the consequences of states not funding health adequately don’t just affect the affected states; they also have an internal impact on the states that appear to be doing well.
“People move in large numbers between the states of the country, and when one state struggles, it tends to have an effect on the others.
“Therefore, the campaign for states to allocate enough funding for healthcare should concern everybody. Having enough hospitals to serve the population in remote communities is another aspect of readiness. Even though some Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) are in a terrible state, there are still not enough of them,” he said.
PHCs
In his suggestion, a community health expert, Prof. Joy Ani, called for the revitalisation of Primary Health care Centres (PHCs).
She said, “Primary Health care Centres (PHCs) are essential for effective disease prevention and control. It is the first level of contact at the community level with the health facilities.
“The PHC is the entry point into the health care service delivery system where 80 percent of the health issues should be sorted out and essential with basic care needs provided.
“As a gateway to accessing health services, the PHC should be designed to fit the purpose for proper functioning and operations to be prepared for the needs of the community where it is located. It should be a hub of positive interaction that gives hope and relieves anxieties and distress to whoever is there whether as a caregiver or client/patient.”
Furthermore, she said, “The PHC is the entry point into the health care service delivery system where 80 per cent of the health issues should be sorted out and essential with basic care needs provided.
“However, a recent report revealed that about 80 percent of the over 34, 000 Primary Health care Centres (PHCs) in Nigeria are not functional. According to the report, most of the PHCs lack the capacity to provide essential healthcare services”
Golibe added, “Functional primary health centres have the potential to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like Lassa fever, meningitis, diphtheria, etc., and improve the well-being of rural dwellers.
“The high rate of death and disease spread among rural communities can be attributed to years of neglect of primary health by past leaders at the national and state levels.
“This has resulted in yearly outbreaks of infectious diseases and in a decline in the quality of health care services and avoidable deaths; it has also increased morbidity, and a lack of trust in the healthcare system.
“The absence of functional primary health centres has also contributed to the country’s high rate of deaths from viral and bacterial infections. Therefore, the federal government must ensure that the goal of revitalising 17,000 primary health centres is realised.
“When revitalised, the facilities will improve access to quality healthcare services, especially for rural communities, reduce the burden on tertiary hospitals, enhance disease prevention and control, and Increase trust in the healthcare system.
“It is important to emphasise that good health is one critical way of ensuring the nation thrives in all sectors. In my view, this explains the strategic position health issues occupy in any nation’s development agenda.
“Presently, at all levels, the government seems to have ceded health to the private sector, where pecuniary interest supersedes the welfare of the collective. That accounts for the prohibitive cost of healthcare delivery, the main reason why many die of avoidable health circumstances.
“If the government can follow through on this project of revitalising healthcare centres, we hope that it will be a significant step towards improving the condition of the rural poor, who often resort to traditional medicine.”
Technology
In her contribution, a microbiologist and a researcher, Dr. Ruth Evoshoneme, called for the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for effective infectious disease prevention and control.
She said, “Infectious disease outbreaks have long posed a significant threat to global health, disrupting economies, healthcare systems and society as a whole. The devastating impact of past pandemics serves as a grim reminder of the potential for widespread devastation caused by infectious diseases.
“In recent years, however, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have begun to offer hope in our ability to detect and prevent future outbreaks before they spiral out of control. Through innovative applications of AI, experts are revolutionising the way we approach infectious disease detection and response.
“For decades, the early detection of infectious diseases has been a difficult and resource-intensive task. Traditional surveillance systems often struggle to keep up with the speed at which diseases spread, and they tend to be reactive rather than proactive.
“These systems rely on reporting from hospitals, health organisations, and other sources, but by the time an outbreak is officially recognised, it may already be too late to contain it. The need for more effective, timely, and efficient methods of detection has never been more urgent.”
Continuing, she said, “This is where AI comes in. With its ability to process large volumes of data from multiple sources, AI is transforming the landscape of public health. By using AI to analyse diverse datasets, such as social media trends, travel patterns, real-time hospital reports, and climate conditions, AI can be used to develop predictive models that can assess the likelihood of an outbreak before it officially emerges.
“These systems can identify potential hotspots and alert public health authorities to take preventive measures. AI-powered systems have several advantages over traditional methods. They are faster, more adaptable, and can continuously improve over time.
“Machine learning algorithms, a subset of AI, learn from previous outbreaks and adjust their predictions based on new data. This means that the more data these systems process, the more accurate they become in forecasting potential outbreaks. In a rapidly changing world, where diseases can spread quickly and unpredictably, this predictive power is essential for preventing public health crises before they reach catastrophic levels.”
NCDC’s reaction
Meanwhile, an official of the NCDC has said the agency had activated emergency response measures to curb the outbreaks of infectious diseases in the most affected states.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was permitted to speak on the issue, said, “The government is intensifying vaccination efforts, but public awareness and early detection remain crucial in preventing fatalities.”