The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Baamlong, has confirmed 11 new positive cases of Lassa Fever across seven local government areas, with four deaths recorded since December 2025.
The Commissioner listed the affected local government areas as Quan Pan, Shendam, Wase, Langtang South, Jos North, Jos South, and Mangu.
Baamlong who made the disclosure during a press briefing in Jos on Saturday, regretted that despite efforts by the government to contain the disease, it has continued to spread, but assured that the ministry is doing everything possible to stop the spread of the virus.
According to the Health Commissioner, 28 suspected cases were initially reported but following extensive laboratory testing, 11 cases have been confirmed, which has prompted extensive contact tracing by health officials.
“We were first alerted on December 20, 2025, following a case from the Quanpan Local Government Area, and immediately, we activated our incident management team,” Baamlong said.
“At that time, we traced about 69 contacts, from which we recorded 16 suspected cases, and five were confirmed positive.
“This means that from December till now, we have confirmed eleven positive cases in Plateau State,” he said.
He noted that the outbreak has resulted in four deaths across major health facilities in the state, including two health workers who contracted the disease from patients they were treating.
“Sadly, we have recorded four deaths, two at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, one at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, and one at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital.
“One of the deaths is a medical practitioner who attended to an infected patient. As of today, another medical doctor is also on admission and receiving treatment,” Baamlong disclosed.
Outlining the steps taken by the ministry to curb the spread of the disease, Baamlong said that 109 contacts are currently under follow-up, as health authorities intensify surveillance and response efforts.
“What we are doing now is to continue active case search through surveillance and to deploy our rapid response teams to affected communities.
“We are commencing active public health enlightenment. This is very key so that we can address and suppress the transmission of this disease,” Baamlong said while assuring residents of the availability of treatment and protective materials.
“The drugs required for treatment, including personal protective equipment, have been distributed to health facilities and are currently available at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and the Plateau Specialist Hospital,” he emphasized.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
