Lassa Fever Claims APIN Doctor in Benue
A senior medical doctor with the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria has died of Lassa fever in Benue State, forcing health authorities to restart a fresh round of disease surveillance just as the state prepared to declare itself free of the viral haemorrhagic illness.
The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ejeh-Ogwuche, confirmed the death on Monday in Makurdi, saying the ministry had activated contact tracing and surveillance after the case was identified. The doctor worked with the APIN Foundation in Konshisha Local Government Area but hailed from Kwande Local Government Area, and was buried on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
According to the commissioner, the deceased battled the illness for more than two weeks before his condition worsened. “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,” Ogwuche said.
He added that the doctor declined admission at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, preferring home treatment, before being referred to the University of Jos Teaching Hospital in Plateau State, where he died. Initial investigations indicated he already had kidney complications.
The death lands at a sensitive moment. Ogwuche said the state had nearly completed the 42-day incubation monitoring period required to declare an outbreak over before the new case emerged, meaning a fresh cycle of observation must now begin. His remains were buried in line with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention protocols.
The case reflects a national pattern that has persisted through 2026. In its situation report for Epidemiological Week 23, covering June 1 to 7, the NCDC recorded 855 confirmed cases out of 5,652 suspected cases, with 214 deaths, placing the case fatality rate at about 25 per cent. That figure is sharply higher than the 18.9 per cent reported during the same period in 2025, signalling a deadlier season even where case numbers have eased.
The agency said 23 states across 109 local government areas had recorded at least one confirmed case, but the burden remains concentrated. Five states, Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue, account for about 84 per cent of confirmed infections, with Benue contributing roughly six per cent. Young adults between 21 and 30 remain the most affected, with a median age of 30 years.
Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria and typically peaks during the dry season. It spreads mainly through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents, though human-to-human transmission occurs in healthcare settings, a reality underscored by repeated infections among medical workers. NCDC records earlier in the year showed dozens of healthcare workers infected, including physicians, with deaths among clinical staff.
The NCDC has linked the elevated fatality rate to late presentation, poor health-seeking behaviour driven by the high cost of treatment, weak environmental sanitation and low community awareness. The doctor’s initial reluctance to seek hospital care mirrors those concerns. The agency, working with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières, has kept its national Incident Management System activated, deploying rapid response teams and infection-prevention support to high-burden states, including a ring strategy in Benue.
With the monitoring clock reset, Benue now faces a renewed wait before any all-clear can be declared.