Lassa Fever outbreak claims four lives in Nasarawa, hospital shut down

A suspected Lassa fever outbreak has killed four people, including two pregnant women, in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, prompting authorities to shut down the general hospital and isolate health workers as a precautionary measure.

The outbreak began when a woman exhibiting symptoms consistent with Lassa fever was brought to a health facility and died before receiving treatment, according to Malami Ahmad Yahuza Abdullah, a Disease Surveillance Officer in the state. Her husband subsequently died displaying similar symptoms.

The Awe General Hospital has been closed following the deaths, with health workers, including the medical superintendent, placed in isolation as officials work to contain the potential spread of the hemorrhagic fever.

A nurse at the facility reported that two women arrived at the hospital almost simultaneously with symptoms initially resembling malaria. However, their conditions rapidly deteriorated, progressing to bleeding and hemorrhaging before both died.

Health workers at the facility have expressed fear over their safety, citing a lack of protective equipment needed to manage the outbreak. “The health workers are living in fear because they do not have protective equipment to manage the outbreak,” sources at the hospital said.

Abdullah highlighted significant challenges hindering the response effort, pointing to poor handling of suspected cases and inadequate resources for surveillance teams. He revealed that none of the Disease Surveillance Officers across Nasarawa State’s 13 local government areas have been provided with motorcycles, severely affecting their ability to reach remote areas promptly.

In a concerning development, Abdullah disclosed that the state government dispatched an ambulance to transport six suspected cases from Awe to Lafia for isolation, but the patients were allowed to leave before laboratory results were available.

Dr. Peter Attah, Director of Public Health at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, offered a different account, stating that only one confirmed case of Lassa fever had been recorded in Awe. He confirmed that the patient died before laboratory results were released.

The discrepancy in reported cases underscores the challenges authorities face in tracking and managing the outbreak amid limited surveillance capabilities and testing delays.

Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness transmitted through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents’ urine or feces. The disease is endemic in parts of West Africa and can be fatal, particularly when diagnosis and treatment are delayed.