Plateau State has confirmed an outbreak of Lassa fever affecting seven local government areas, with 11 positive cases and four deaths recorded since December 2025.The Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed this during a press briefing on Saturday at the Ministry of Health in Jos, where he provided an update on the outbreak and the state’s response efforts.“We were first alerted on December 20, 2025, following a case from the Quanpan Local Government Area, and immediately, we activated our incident management team,” Baamlong said.He explained that two cases were initially confirmed, prompting extensive contact tracing.According to the commissioner, the state has so far recorded 28 suspected cases, with six confirmed.The commissioner noted that the outbreak has resulted in four deaths across major health facilities in the state.He explained that one of the fatalities was a health worker.“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.“One of the deaths is a medical practitioner who attended to an infected patient. As of today, another medical doctor is also on admission and receiving treatment,” Dr Baamlong disclosed.Baamlong noted that 109 contacts are currently under follow-up, as health authorities intensify surveillance and response.The affected local government areas are Quanpan, Shendam, Wase, Langtang South, Jos North, Jos South, and Mangu.He stated that public enlightenment was critical to curbing the spread of the disease.The health commissioner further called on residents to adhere strictly to preventive measures and to seek prompt medical attention when experiencing symptoms, noting that collective responsibility is essential to containing the outbreak.
