The Benue State Government has confirmed the deaths of 10 health workers due to Lassa fever, with 45 cases testing positive out of 250 suspected infections across the state. The affected health workers include five medical doctors, four nurses, two community health extension workers, and one hospital porter.

The state’s Epidemiologist, Dr. Msuega Asema, attributed the high infection rate among health workers to human-to-human transmission and lapses in infection prevention protocols. The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ejeh-Ogwuche, has urged residents not to panic, stating that the government has declared a Lassa fever outbreak and activated containment measures.

CONTAINMENT MEASURES:

– Surveillance officers have been deployed across 23 local government areas to strengthen monitoring, contact tracing, and community engagement.

– Isolation centres are being upgraded with patient monitors, improved waste management systems, and functional emergency laboratories.

– Patients are being treated and discharged free of charge, but hospitals need support with power supply, consumables, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).