The Benue State Government has said only one laboratory-confirmed case of Lassa fever with no death has been recorded in the past one month.
State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this yesterday while briefing journalists in Makurdi on the state’s Lassa fever situation covering Epidemiological Week 27 from June 28, 2026 to date.
Ogwuche said health authorities investigated 45 suspected cases during the period, with laboratory tests confirming only one positive case, while the remaining samples tested negative.
He said although the peak transmission season had passed, the Ministry of Health and Human Services had maintained heightened surveillance across the 23 local government areas because Lassa fever remains endemic in Nigeria and sporadic cases could still occur.
He said that surveillance efforts had focused on early case detection, prompt laboratory confirmation, effective case management, strengthened infection prevention and control measures, as well as sustained public awareness campaigns.
The commissioner attributed the absence of fatalities to the state’s disease surveillance system, rapid response mechanism and improved clinical management of suspected cases.
He added that the government had sustained preventive measures, including continuous surveillance, prompt reporting and laboratory investigation of suspected cases, strengthened infection prevention and control practices in public and private health facilities, regular training of healthcare workers, and intensified public sensitisation on environmental sanitation, food hygiene and rodent control.
Ogwuche said the ministry was working closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other development partners to strengthen disease prevention and emergency response, adding that the efforts indicated the decline in transmission across the state.