The Benue State Government has announced that 10 health workers have died in the wake of a recent Lassa fever outbreak, with five of the deceased identified as medical doctors.
The development was revealed in a report by African Independent Television (AIT) broadcast on Friday.
According to the state epidemiologist, Asema Msuega, the state has documented 250 suspected Lassa fever cases, of which 45 have been laboratory confirmed.
Fresh data from the state’s epidemiology unit shows a sharp increase in infections, prompting the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Paul Ogwuche, to carry out an inspection visit to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi to evaluate the situation firsthand.
Mr Msuega described the high infection rate among healthcare personnel as alarming, explaining that it points to possible human-to-human transmission.
He blamed the situation on gaps in infection prevention and control practices within health facilities.
Providing updates on containment efforts, the Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Stephen Hwande, appealed to residents to strictly observe infection prevention guidelines.
Mr Hwande noted that the hospital has intensified precautionary and safety measures aimed at limiting further spread of the virus.
The state government also praised healthcare workers for their commitment and sacrifices, reiterating its resolve to bring the outbreak under control.
The situation in Benue aligns with growing anxiety over increasing Lassa fever infections across the country.
Earlier, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) highlighted major obstacles hindering rapid detection and response in some states, including high specimen transportation costs, inconsistencies in reporting, and weak data validation systems.
The agency’s Director-General, Jide Idris, explained that moving samples from remote communities to state laboratories remains costly and logistically challenging, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, thereby delaying confirmation and response actions.
In its most recent situation report, the NCDC disclosed that 74 new confirmed cases were recorded in Epidemiological Week 6 (2–8 February 2026), compared to 44 cases in Week 5.
The fresh cases were identified in eight states — Taraba, Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Ebonyi.
Within the same reporting week, 271 suspected cases and 15 deaths were recorded, with a case fatality rate of 20.3 per cent among confirmed infections.
The agency further disclosed that two additional healthcare workers contracted the virus during the week, raising fresh concerns about compliance with infection prevention and control measures in medical facilities.
From Epidemiological Week 1 to Week 6 in 2026, Nigeria has registered 1,034 suspected cases, 240 confirmed cases, and four probable cases spanning 10 states and 42 Local Government Areas.
During the same period, 51 deaths were recorded among confirmed cases, translating to a case fatality rate of 21.3 per cent — higher than the 19.4 per cent documented within the corresponding timeframe in 2025.
Despite this, the NCDC maintained that the total number of suspected and confirmed cases reported so far in 2026 remains lower than figures recorded during the same period last year.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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