The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has disclosed that there have been 735 suspected cases of dengue fever across five states from January to November 2025, with two confirmed fatalities recorded nationwide.
The agency's dengue fever situation report for November 2025 indicates that Sokoto was the sole state reporting suspected cases during that month, while Edo and Sokoto collectively accounted for the majority of cases documented throughout the year.
From January to November 2025, there were a total of 735 suspected dengue fever cases recorded across five states and 17 local government areas across the country.
Edo State reported 537 suspected cases, and Sokoto had 96 cases. Together, these two states contributed to 86.4 percent of all suspected dengue fever cases observed during this time.
Of the total suspected cases, 219 were confirmed through laboratory testing, which equates to around 29.8 percent of reported cases.
The outbreak in November was restricted to Sokoto, which recorded 29 suspected cases of dengue fever, uniquely making it the only state to have cases during the reported timeframe.
Laboratory results confirmed six of the suspected cases, which represents about 0.21 percent of the overall suspected cases reported that month. Notably, one death was observed among the confirmed cases in November, resulting in a case fatality rate of 16.67 percent for that month, as indicated by the NCDC document.
The report also elaborates that adults in the age group of 31 to 50 years were the most affected demographic, representing 96 confirmed cases or 43.84 percent of all laboratory-confirmed dengue infections in 2025.
The gender breakdown of confirmed cases was nearly equivalent, with females constituting 50.7 percent and males 49.3 percent of confirmed dengue fever cases in November.
Overall, Nigeria witnessed two fatalities from confirmed dengue fever cases between January and November 2025, leading to a national case fatality rate of 0.91 percent.
The NCDC remarked that it is maintaining a watch on the trends of dengue fever across the nation and has urged all states to enhance their surveillance measures, laboratory testing capabilities, and public health responses, particularly in regions reporting frequent cases.
In a health advisory published in July 2025, the NCDC alerted citizens that dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the same type responsible for yellow fever transmission.
The symptoms of this disease often include high fever, headaches, sore throats, joint and muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, symptoms that resemble malaria, thereby underscoring the importance of early and accurate diagnosis.
The NCDC also confirmed the identification of a dengue outbreak in Edo State in June after laboratory tests and emphasized that the disease is legally reportable in Nigeria, necessitating the prompt reporting of suspected cases by health professionals.
Additionally, it highlighted that stagnant water resulting from heavy rainfall and flooding fosters mosquito breeding sites, thereby increasing the likelihood of dengue transmission during the rainy season.
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