Plateau State Government has confirmed an outbreak of Lassa fever affecting seven local government areas, with 11 laboratory-confirmed cases and four deaths recorded since December 2025.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed this during a press briefing in Jos on Saturday, where he provided an update on the situation and the response strategies currently in place.
He explained that the outbreak was first detected on December 20, 2025, following the confirmation of a case from Quanpan Local Government Area, which prompted the immediate activation of the state’s incident management and emergency response teams.
According to him, intensive contact tracing was conducted, leading to the identification of several suspected cases. He noted that a total of 28 suspected infections had been recorded, with 11 confirmed positive so far.
The commissioner revealed that the outbreak has resulted in four deaths, including one health worker who contracted the virus while attending to an infected patient. He added that another medical doctor is currently receiving treatment at a health facility in the state.
Baamlong said health authorities are actively monitoring 109 identified contacts, while rapid response teams have been deployed to affected communities to strengthen surveillance and contain further transmission.
The affected local government areas include Quanpan, Shendam, Wase, Langtang South, Jos North, Jos South, and Mangu.
He stressed that public awareness and preventive practices remain critical to curbing the spread of the disease, urging residents to maintain proper hygiene, store food safely, and avoid contact with rodents, which are known carriers of the virus.
The commissioner assured residents that essential treatment drugs and personal protective equipment have been distributed to major health facilities, including the Jos University Teaching Hospital and the Plateau Specialist Hospital.
He further called on residents to promptly report symptoms such as fever, weakness, vomiting, or bleeding, noting that early detection significantly improves survival chances and helps prevent wider community spread.
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