Nigeria logs four yellow fever cases as WHO warns of West Africa spread

Nigeria recorded four confirmed yellow fever cases, one of them fatal, between 1 January and 12 October, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

In a Disease Outbreak News report, the WHO said 67 confirmed cases, including 18 deaths, were recorded over that period in nine countries in its African region: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo.

The WHO said more cases were likely. Travel across borders for trade, farming, livestock and mining, gaps in vaccination and the presence of the mosquitoes that carry the virus all raise the risk of further spread, it said. Unvaccinated people in rural and forest-edge communities are most at risk, as are people who work in forests, farming or mining.

Côte d’Ivoire has recorded the most cases, 30, including 10 deaths. Burkina Faso has 15 cases, including three deaths.

Cameroon reported nine cases and one death, and Ghana four cases and three deaths. The Central African Republic reported two cases, and Guinea, Liberia and Togo one each.

The most recent cases are in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia, including areas close to international borders. On 27 October the WHO rated the risk in its African region as moderate and the global risk as low.

A single dose of yellow fever vaccine gives lifelong protection, the WHO said. It advises vaccination for all international travellers aged nine months and older going to areas at risk, but advises against restricting travel to or trade with affected countries.

The report does not say where in Nigeria the four cases were found. The WHO said countries in the region are stepping up surveillance, laboratory testing and vaccination in affected and at-risk areas.

Sources: WHO Disease Outbreak News, 6 November 2026; WHO rapid risk assessment; Premium Times