By RismadarVoice Media
December 23, 2025
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has disclosed that 19,213 confirmed cases of measles have been recorded out of 26,866 suspected cases across 507 Local Government Areas in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The agency also reported 153 deaths from the highly infectious disease as of November 2025.
The disclosure was contained in the NCDC’s measles situation report made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
Measles is an acute viral illness characterised by fever, red rash, cough and red eyes. It is transmitted through coughing and sneezing, contact with respiratory secretions or aerosols, and close personal contact.
The virus can remain contagious in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours, with peak infectiousness occurring from four days before to four days after the appearance of rash.
According to the report, 71 suspected measles cases were recorded in November 2025, with Delta (13), Kwara (6), Bayelsa (6), Jigawa (6), and Akwa Ibom (5) accounting for 50.7 per cent of the cases.
“Of the suspected cases reported, one (1.41 per cent) was confirmed, seven (9.86 per cent) were discarded, while 63 (88.73 per cent) were pending classification,” the report stated.
A total of 47 LGAs across 20 states reported at least one suspected case in November, with no deaths recorded from confirmed cases during the month.
From January to November 2025, the report showed that Borno (7,968), Zamfara (4,779), Yobe (2,076), Bauchi (1,574), and Kebbi (1,357) accounted for 66.10 per cent of all suspected cases nationwide.
Out of the 26,866 suspected cases reported during the period, 19,213 (71.51 per cent) were confirmed, comprising 2,791 laboratory-confirmed, 2,013 epidemiologically linked, and 14,409 clinically compatible cases.
Additionally, 6,440 cases (23.78 per cent) were discarded, while 1,213 (3.38 per cent) remained pending classification.
The report noted that children aged 9 to 59 months were the most affected, accounting for 9,399 cases (48.92 per cent) of all confirmed infections.
The 153 recorded deaths translated to a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.8 per cent.
It further revealed that 14,801 cases (77.04 per cent) of confirmed infections occurred among children who had not received any dose of the measles vaccine.
According to the NCDC, 188 LGAs across 27 states recorded measles outbreaks between January and November 2025.
“In November, only one LGA—Eti-Osa in Lagos State—had an ongoing measles outbreak. No new outbreaks were reported during the month, while 187 LGAs across 27 states had ended their outbreaks by the end of November,” the report added.
Meanwhile, on October 6, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, launched the Measles–Rubella vaccine introduction and integrated campaign, which is expected to reach about 106 million children aged nine months to under 15 years in two phases.
She described the initiative as the largest health campaign in Africa’s history, aimed at protecting children and adolescents against measles, rubella and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The campaign also integrates polio vaccination and the rollout of the HPV vaccine for adolescent girls.
