Taraba health facility records 51 deaths from Lassa fever outbreak

OKERAFOR ATHANATIUS, JALINGO

About Fifty-one (51) persons have lost their lives to Lassa fever disease at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jalingo, Taraba State, Northeast Nigeria since the outbreak of the pandemic in November, 2025.

The Head of Clinical Services of FMC, Jalingo, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman Kirim stated this while giving an update of the dreaded disease before Journalists in Jalingo. He added that all the patients and their relatives were being admitted at the Isolation Center of FMC.

Dr. Kirim, who described the surge as devastating further disclosed that the 51 deaths were cases that were reported to the facility between November 2025 to April, 2026.

“Between November 2025 to April 2026, the facility has recorded 303 suspected cases of Lassa Fever, 134 confirmed cases, while 95 of the confirmed cases were admitted in the treatment centre of the FMC, 46 patients were successfully treated and discharged while 51 died in the hospital.

Kirim said the cases overwhelmed the number of medical Doctors currently serving in the hospital following the number of the doctors that recently left the FMC in the ongoing brain drain (Japa syndrome) of workers.

He disclosed that during the period, the Taraba state government has intervened by sending consumable drugs and medical personnel to assist at the FMC. Apart from the Taraba state government that sent in drugs, consumables and medical personnel, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), have sent consumable drugs, not medical personnel like before.

While calling on government at all levels to assist in creating awareness to the locals in the state to avoid more casualties, there medical officer revealed that a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Medical Sanfrontee, Medical Without Border, came in, studied the outbreak and started intervention, they came through the state government, they reached us and they are training and assisting in terms of treatment of the persons.

Creating an awareness on the outbreak of lassa fever in Bali, headquarters of Bali local government area of the State recently, a health educator from the local government, Mrs. Sarai Bello said they got report from FMC, Jalingo that seven out of the eleven wards of the LGA were affected with lassa fever.

“That was the reason why I joined an occasion organized by the local government council Chairman, Hon. Habila Bala Balasa, (marking his 100 days in office) to create awareness on the preventive measures of the dreaded disease, presently, there was no immunization for lassa fever and I want to advice that people from various communities, should abide by the preventive measures so as not catch the disease”,

“We have been battling with Lassa fever in Dakka, a nomadic settlement in the local government, but this time around, it has affected almost 7 wards in Bali local government. We have a case in Bali ‘A’, Maihula, Mayoka, Kaigama, Dakka, among other 2. The victims went straight to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo where they were confirmed Lassa fever positive”, she said.

Describing the carrier of the scourge as rat, the Health educator noted that the rat in question has breast and long tail which, if it bites the rat that stays at home helps to circulate the disease of Lassa fever.

Mrs. Bello also described high fever, sore throat, vomiting, chest pain, general muscle pain, diarrhea, stomach pain, bleeding from all the openings of the body as the signs and symptoms of Lassa fever, advised anybody that has the symptoms above stated to report to the nearest health facility across the State.