A senior medical doctor working with the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria, in the Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State, has died of Lassa fever.
The death of the deceased was announced by the state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ejeh-Ogwuche.
Paul Ejeh-Ogwuche who did not reveal the identity of the late doctor said the ministry had activated contact tracing and surveillance measures in response to the case.
According to him, the deceased battled the illness for over two weeks before his condition worsened.
He said the death occurred at a time the state was preparing to be declared free of Lassa fever.
“There is a fresh case of Lassa fever in the state. He was a doctor and was buried last Saturday, June 20, 2026. He worked with APIN Foundation in Konshisha Local Government Area but hailed from Kwande Local Government Area.
“For over two weeks, he was struggling, and when there was no improvement, a friend suggested his condition was suggestive of Lassa fever. A test carried out returned positive.
“So when we wanted to admit him at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, he declined, requesting to be managed at home with drugs and injections. We insisted that he be taken to the teaching hospital for proper evaluation,” the commissioner said.
He added that initial investigations indicated that the deceased already had kidney complications.
“As a result, we referred him to the University of Jos Teaching Hospital in Plateau State, where he later died. His remains were brought back and buried in line with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention burial protocols on Saturday,” he said.
