Plateau confirms a Lassa fever outbreak in seven LGAs with 11 cases and four deaths as health teams intensify response and surveillance

Dr Nicholas Baamlong, Plateau State Commissioner for Health, confirmed on Saturday in Jos that a Plateau Lassa fever outbreak has affected seven local government areas, with 11 positive cases and four deaths recorded since December 2025.

Also read: NCDC warns as Lassa fever deaths rise sharply in Nigeria

Dr Baamlong spoke at a press briefing at the Ministry of Health, where he outlined the scale of the outbreak and the state’s response after the first alert on December 20 from Quanpan Local Government Area.

“We were first alerted on December 20, 2025, following a case from Quanpan Local Government Area, and immediately, we activated our incident management team,” Dr Baamlong said.

Initial investigations identified two confirmed cases that triggered extensive contact tracing.

“At that time, we traced about 69 contacts, from which we recorded 16 suspected cases, and five were confirmed positive.

This means that from December till now, we have confirmed eleven positive cases in Plateau State,” Dr Baamlong added.

The Plateau Lassa fever outbreak has led to four fatalities across major hospitals, including one medical practitioner.

Two deaths occurred at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, one at the Plateau Specialist Hospital and one at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital.

“Sadly, we have recorded four deaths. 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 said.

Among the victims was Dr Salome Oboyi, a senior resident doctor at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital, who contracted the disease while caring for a patient and died within two weeks of developing symptoms.

Dr Baamlong said 109 contacts are currently under close follow up as surveillance intensifies. Rapid response teams have been deployed to affected communities for active case searches.

The affected local government areas are Quanpan, Shendam, Wase, Langtang South, Jos North, Jos South and Mangu.

Dr Baamlong emphasised public education as a decisive element in containing the outbreak. “We are commencing active public health enlightenment.

This is key so that we can address and suppress the transmission of this disease,” he said.

He assured residents that treatment drugs and personal protective equipment have been distributed to health facilities and remain available at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and the Plateau Specialist Hospital.

Also read: Lassa fever death toll hits 176 in Nigeria — NCDC

Residents were urged to observe preventive measures and seek immediate medical attention if symptoms appear, as authorities stressed that containing the outbreak is a shared responsibility.