By Lyop Pam
The Plateau State Government has confirmed eleven cases of Lassa fever, with four deaths recorded since the outbreak was first reported in the state in December twenty-twenty-five.
The Commissioner for Health, Doctor Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed this at a news briefing in Jos.
Doctor Baamlong said the state was formally alerted to the outbreak on December twenty-third, prompting the immediate activation of the Incident Management Team.
He explained that two initial cases were confirmed in Quanpan Local Government Area, leading to the tracing of sixty-nine contacts, out of which sixteen were suspected cases and five tested positive.
The Health Commissioner noted that from January to date, the state has recorded twenty-eight suspected cases, with six confirmed positive, bringing the total of confirmed cases to eleven, out of the eleven confirmed cases, four deaths were recorded.
He explained that two deaths occurred at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, one at Plateau Specialist Hospital, and another at Bingham University Teaching Hospital who was a medical practitioner that attended to an infected patient, while another medical doctor is currently on admission and receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.
He stated that seven local government areas have so far been affected by the outbreak to include Quanpan, Shendam, Wase, Langtang South, Jos North, Mangu and Jos South.
He said the state government is intensifying active case search through disease surveillance, deploying the Rapid Response Team to affected communities, and scaling up public health enlightenment to curb the spread of the disease.
Dr. Baamlong advised Health workers across the state to consistently use personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of infection and also urged members of the public to adhere strictly to preventive measures, including environmental sanitation and personal hygiene.
The Ministry of Health assured residents of the state government’s commitment to managing the outbreak,
Edited by Karen keyen
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