The Plateau State government has confirmed an outbreak of Lassa fever in seven local government areas, with the death toll reaching four and the total number of confirmed cases now at 11.
The affected local government areas include Quanpan, Shendam, Wase, Langtang South, Jos North, Jos South, and Mangu.
During a press briefing in Jos on Saturday, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, the Commissioner for Health, provided an update on the outbreak and the state’s ongoing response efforts.
“We were first alerted on the 20th of December 2025 following a case from Quanpan Local Government Area, and immediately we activated our Incident Management Team,” Baamlong stated.
He explained that two initial cases were confirmed, which triggered extensive contact tracing.
“At that time, we traced about 69 contacts, from which we recorded 16 suspected cases and five were confirmed positive,” he added.
Providing an update for 2026, the commissioner confirmed that 28 suspected cases have been recorded in the state, with six of them confirmed.
“This means that from December till now, we have confirmed 11 positive cases in Plateau State,” Baamlong said.
The outbreak has already resulted in four deaths across major health facilities in the state.
“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,” he said.
One of the fatalities was a medical practitioner who had attended to an infected patient. “As of today, another medical doctor is also on admission and receiving treatment,” Baamlong added.
Currently, 109 contacts are under follow-up as health authorities step up surveillance and response efforts across the affected areas.
“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 also commencing active public health enlightenment, which is very key to suppressing transmission of the disease,” he noted.
Baamlong also assured the public that necessary treatment and protective materials are available.
“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 said.
He urged residents to adhere to preventive measures and seek medical attention promptly if they experience symptoms. “Collective effort is critical to containing the outbreak,” he concluded.