The Benue State Government is pulling out all steps to contain the deadly Lassa fever outbreak with Paul Ogwuche, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, deploying 23 surveillance officers to every Local Government Area for effective monitoring and contact tracing.
The move, according to the Commissioner, aimed at boosting disease monitoring, contact tracing and awareness creation campaigns.
Ogwuche made this known during an inspection visit to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital’s isolation facility, where he acknowledged the rising infection numbers and vowed to intensify containment efforts.
He urged residents to seek medical help immediately if symptoms appear, saying, early detection is key to survival.
Ogwuche urged residents to remain calm but vigilant, noting that the Government declared the outbreak in February, 2026 and had since stepped up containment measures.
Read also: Lassa fever deaths reach 70 amid rising infections among health workers
According to him, “Surveillance teams have been deployed to all the 23 local government areas of the State to strengthened contact tracing and early detection.”
While commending healthcare workers for their dedication, the Commissioner appealed to residents to report symptoms like fever, headache or bleeding to any nearby health facility for onwards diagnosis and treatment.
Also speaking, Asema Msuega, the State Epidemiologist, lamented the growing cases of health workers infection which he said, so far, five doctors, four nurses, and other medical staff had been affected even as he highlighted the gaps in infection prevention.
Stephen Hwande, the Chief Medical Director, expressed concern over the spike in cases, calling for urgent upgrade of he isolation unit to include patient monitors and better waste disposal system for effective management of outbreaks.
