Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - A senior medical doctor working with the AIDS Prevention
Initiative in Nigeria, in the Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State,
has d!ed following complications from Lassa fever.
The State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr
Paul Ejeh-Ogwuche, who confirmed the development on Monday, June 22, 2026 in
Makurdi, said the ministry had activated contact tracing and surveillance
measures in response to the case.
According to Ogwuche, the deceased, Azever Tersoo,
reportedly battled the illness for over two weeks before his condition
worsened.
"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,” the commissioner said.
"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 further disclosed 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.
Following the renewed outbreak, Ogwuche said the ministry
had intensified public awareness campaigns and reactivated response measures
across communities.
He added that health authorities had been placed on alert
following recent updates on other infectious disease threats, including Ebola,
while surveillance had been strengthened across health facilities.
“We have been doing sensitisation, checking our facilities, and heightening surveillance. In this case, we have also commenced case investigation and contact tracing,” he said.
He noted that the state had been close to declaring the outbreak over after completing a 42-day incubation monitoring period before the new case emerged, adding that a fresh cycle of observation would now be required before any declaration can be made.
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