Lassa Fever Kills 2 Doctors, 4 Nurses, 7 Health Workers In Benue

….As Stakeholders Advocated For Law Banning Importation, Consumption of Rats

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

No fewer than two medical doctors, four nurses and seven community health workers have lost their lives while managing cases of Lassa Fever in Benue State.

The Focal Person for Lassa Fever Control in Benue State, Mrs. Benita Kanshio made this known during a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization meeting on the control of Lassa Fever in the state.

The Nations News Nigeria reports that the sensitization program was organized by the State Ministry of Health which took place at the State capital, Makurdi.

Mrs. Kanshio, however frowned at the rising cases of Lassa Fever in the State.

She explained that between December 2023 to June 2024, the State had recorded 1,030 suspected cases of Lassa Fever, confirmed 66 cases and recorded 14 death within the outbreak.

“The healthcare workers affected while managing the cases were 14 in number including two doctors, four nurses and seven Community Health Workers., she stated”

Responding, a Health Coordinator in Benue State Ministry of Health, Jerry Agber alluded that the Benue State Ministry of Health in collaboration with other stakeholders organization the event to engage and sensitize the people on the control of Lassa Fever in the state.

He said the engagement particularly focused on strategies to stop the importation of rats from other states to Benue State, which are the vector of Lassa Fever.

According to him, overtime they have been dealing with outbreaks of Lassa Fever in Benue state and for the past two years it has been recurrent.

“And this year’s outbreak was 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” hr said.

He acknowledged the call for the law to back them in acting saying they will communicate it to the House of Assembly to enable the ministry have a legal backing to implement their strategies.

Meanwhile, community leaders and other stakeholders in the State who spoke during the meeting, advocated for a law to ban the importation, sale and consumption of rats due to increase cases of Lassa Fever disease in the state.

The Ter Makurdi, HRH Chief Vincent Aule who first spoke, expressed shock at the figure of the outbreak recorded in the state, stressing that decisive steps must be taken to check the spread of the disease.

Chief Aule who spoke through the Kindred Head of Wurukum, Chief Simon Ugondo Tov, said for the campaign to check the rising cases of Lassa Fever in the state to be successful “it means we need a law by the House of Assembly to ban the importation and consumption of rats in Benue so that they can pass a law that will be binding on all so that violators can be arrested and prosecuted.

“The law should prohibit importation and consumption of rats to Benue state.” He said.

Also in her presentation, the State Officer, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services, Makurdi, Amarachi Onyeberechi, noted that the consumption of rats by the Benue people was partly responsible for the outbreak of Lassa Fever in the state.

Onyeberechi called for concerted efforts in passing law to prohibit the importation and consumption of rats in the state to help check the outbreak of the disease.