Benue Reels as State Records 14 Lassa Fever Deaths, 1,030 More Suspected Cases

Benue state, North Central Nigeria, is currently battling the scourge of Lassa fever, following the recording of 14 deaths, over 1,030 suspected cases of and 66 confirmed cases of the disease in the last six months.

The development is contained in a statement made by the state ministry of health at a stakeholder's in Makurdi, the state capital.

State Health Coordinator, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr. Jerry Agber, the ministry, in conjunction with other stakeholders, put the meeting together to engage and sensitise the people on the control of Lassa Fever in the state,

“with particular focus on strategies to stop the importation of rats from other states to Benue, which are the vector of Lassa Fever.”

According to him;

“overtime we have been dealing with outbreaks of Lassa Fever in Benue state. For the past two years it has been recurrent. And this year’s outbreak has been the worse of all. The cases of Lassa we had from January to this point are more than the total number we had in 2023.

“When we x-rayed the issue we discovered that one of the routes that are fueling the spread of Lassa Fever in the state is the importation of rats from other Northern states into Benue state.

“So it became very important to call a stakeholders meeting like this where we have market women, traditional rulers, the Police, paraparamilitary organisations, the Qurantine officials, among others to interact and chart a way forward and fill the missing link that saw us record those outbreaks.”

The state focal person, Lassa Fever, Mrs. Benita Kanshio, explained that the engagement became imperative because “between December and now, we recorded 1,030 suspected cases of Lassa Fever. We had 66 confirmed cases within the outbreak and we recorded 14 deaths.

“The healthcare workers affected while managing the cases were 14 in number including two Doctors, Nurses and Community Health Workers.”

Meanwhile, the Ter Makurdi, HRH, Chief Vincent Aule, has called for a law to ban the consumption of rats in the state. While addressing Speaking a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitisation meeting on the control of Lassa Fever in Makurdi, the state capital.

At the meeting organized by the state ministry of health, the monarch, who expressed shock at the figure recorded thus far, noted that there is an urgent need to take decisive steps towards checking the spread of the disease in the state.

Represented by the Wurukum Kindred Head, Chief Simon Tov, he pointed out that a successful campaign again the disease in the state is dependent on the enactment of a new law banning the consumption of rats.

“We need a law by the State Assembly banning the importation and consumption of rats in Benue so that the violators of the law can be arrested and prosecuted.”

The position of the Ter Tiv enjoys that of the state's Station Officer, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services, Makurdi, Dr. Amarachi Onyeberechi, who posited in her presentation that indeed, the people’s huge appetite for rats is a major contributor to the outbreak and spread of the disease in the state