By Ayomide Otitoju
At least 10 people, including two healthcare workers, have died from complications linked to Lassa fever in Benue State, health authorities have confirmed.
The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Peter Ogwuche, disclosed this during a press briefing in Makurdi, where he outlined ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak.
According to Ogwuche, the state has recorded 52 confirmed cases out of 315 suspected infections, with 10 fatalities so far. He noted that 14 of the confirmed cases involve healthcare workers, including six medical doctors.
“Since the outbreak began, 10 deaths have been recorded among the 52 confirmed cases, while 315 suspected cases have been reported,” he said.
The commissioner added that the infected health workers include six doctors, one pharmacist, four nurses, two health extension workers, and a porter, highlighting concerns over the exposure of frontline medical personnel.
He said surveillance teams have been deployed across the state’s 23 local government areas, with Makurdi, Guma, Buruku, and Okpokwu currently under close monitoring due to active cases.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reiterated plans to significantly reduce the incidence of Lassa fever over the next decade.
Speaking earlier on The Morning Brief on Channels Television, NCDC Director-General Jide Idris said efforts were underway to lower the disease’s fatality rate to below 10 percent, while researchers continue work on developing a vaccine in collaboration with partners across Africa and beyond.
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family. The disease is primarily transmitted through exposure to food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rat, a rodent species common in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.
