RismadarVoice Reporters
January 8, 2026
No fewer than four persons, including two pregnant women, have been reported dead from suspected cases of Lassa fever in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, sparking fear among residents, health workers.
The outbreak has led to the temporary closure of the General Hospital in Awe, while several health workers, including the Medical Superintendent, have been placed in isolation as a precautionary measure.
Speaking in an interview, the Disease Surveillance Officer in the area, Ahmad Yahuza Abdullahi, said the situation became alarming when a woman was brought to a health facility in Awe with symptoms suspected to be Lassa fever and died shortly before receiving medical attention.
He said a few days later, the woman’s husband also died after presenting similar symptoms.
Abdullahi identified poor handling of suspected cases as a major challenge in managing the outbreak, adding that the situation was worsened by inadequate logistics and manpower.
He disclosed that some suspected patients evacuated to Lafia for isolation reportedly escaped before laboratory results were released, heightening tension in the area.
“None of the Disease Surveillance Officers across the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State has been provided with motorcycles by the government, which affects prompt response to remote areas,” he said.
“The state government sent an ambulance to Awe to convey six suspected cases for isolation in Lafia, but they were allowed to escape even before the laboratory test results were released.”
Also speaking, a nurse at the General Hospital, Awe, Ovey Polycarp, appealed for urgent provision of personal protective equipment for health workers to curb the spread of the disease.
“The two women were brought to the hospital almost at the same time with symptoms resembling malaria, but their conditions later deteriorated, leading to their deaths,” she said.
“We are living in fear because we do not have adequate protective equipment to manage the outbreak.”
However, the Director of Public Health at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, Dr Peter Attah, said only one confirmed case of Lassa fever had been recorded in Awe Local Government Area.
According to him, the patient died before the laboratory test result confirming the infection was released.
