At least 18 persons were confirmed dead during the 2026 Lassa Fever outbreak in Benue State.
This is just as 620 suspected cases were reported across the nine local government areas out of which 70 cases were confirmed.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr. Cephas Hough disclosed this yesterday in Makurdi at the opening of a two-day After Action Review (AAR) of the 2026 Lassa Fever Response.
Dr. Hough commended the state Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia for his intervention, in collaboration with partners’ support during the turnaround time for samples collection and results.
He assured of the ministry’s full commitment to supporting the implementation of the recommendations from the review meeting.
The theme of the AAR is “Reviewing Our Response, Strengthening Our Readiness”.
In attendance were: representatives of the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, (NCDC), State Coordinator, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Primary Health Care Board (BSPHCB), Benue State, representatives of World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, Nigerian Red Cross among other Development Partners.
In a presentation, Benue State Epidemiologist, Dr. Msuega Asema, stated that the first case of Lassa Fever was reported on January 9, 2026 adding that most of the cases were people of between the ages of 25 – 44 in both males and females.
