Lassa fever claims 2 lives in Benue as cases rise to 9

By Peter Duru

Makurdi—Two persons have reportedly died of Lassa fever in Benue State, just a week after seven cases of the viral disease were reported.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this on Thursday in Makurdi, noting a rise in Lassa fever cases over the past two weeks.

According to him, two additional cases were recently added to the state’s disease surveillance dashboard, bringing the total number of suspected cases to nine. Of these, five tested positive, with two resulting in fatalities.

“As we speak now, there are nine suspected cases of Lassa fever on our dashboard. About five are positive, and unfortunately, two have resulted in deaths,” Ogwuche said.

He revealed that the cases were largely concentrated in Buruku and Makurdi Local Government Areas (LGAs), with two health workers among those infected.

“The cases involved are in Buruku and Makurdi LGAs. Two cases came from Buruku but were diagnosed in Makurdi. There are also cases involving two health workers,” he added.

The commissioner assured that the state government has activated emergency response mechanisms to contain the outbreak.

“As a ministry, we have responded appropriately. We have our incident rapid response team, activated our Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, and put in place all necessary measures,” he stated.

Ogwuche advised residents to observe proper hygiene and sanitation and avoid contact with rodents, especially rats. “During the dry season, when grasses are burnt, rodents seek shelter in homes. If food, especially raw food items, is left uncovered, they can contaminate it,” he warned.

He further noted that surveillance has been heightened across all LGAs to ensure early detection and treatment.

“One of the best ways to manage Lassa fever is early diagnosis and treatment. We have disease surveillance officers in all LGAs, and we have heightened their level of suspicion,” Ogwuche said.

On the newly diagnosed cases, he explained that although the patients were not yet showing symptoms, they would be isolated as a precaution. “The two cases are not symptomatic, but we want to take them into isolation so we can commence all management protocols,” he said.

The commissioner also urged residents to promptly report symptoms such as prolonged fever, weakness, fatigue, and bleeding from any part of the body.

He disclosed that the ministry would convene a stakeholders’ meeting to strengthen containment efforts, involving key health institutions and partners.

“We are involving the Federal Medical Centre, which hosts the molecular laboratory

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