A suspected outbreak of Lassa fever has claimed multiple lives in a rural community in Nasarawa State, triggering fear among residents and forcing emergency health measures in the affected area.
Among those reported dead are two pregnant women whose conditions worsened rapidly after admission, according to information from local health officials familiar with the situation.
In response to the fatalities, authorities ordered the immediate closure of the General Hospital in Awe Local Government Area, while medical personnel who had contact with the patients were placed under isolation as a preventive step.
Preliminary accounts indicate that the outbreak began after a woman presenting symptoms consistent with Lassa fever was taken to a health facility but died before treatment commenced.
Her husband reportedly developed similar symptoms days later and also died.
Moreover, disease surveillance authorities have blamed systemic gaps for complicating the response.
A Disease Surveillance Officer, Mallam Ahmad Yahuza Abdullahi, said delays in identifying and managing suspected cases worsened the situation.
Abdullahi said disease surveillance officers across the 13 local government areas lacked basic logistics, particularly motorcycles, making it difficult to reach remote communities quickly.
He noted that early detection and isolation were severely hampered.
Furthermore, he disclosed that although the state government deployed an ambulance to evacuate six suspected cases from Awe to an isolation centre in Lafia, the individuals reportedly absconded before laboratory confirmation.
Health workers at the closed hospital have also raised alarm over their safety.
A nurse, Ovey Polycarp, said frontline staff were exposed without adequate protective equipment.
Polycarp said the two pregnant women were initially treated for malaria-like symptoms before their conditions deteriorated into severe bleeding and haemorrhage, which eventually led to their deaths.
She added that fear had spread among health workers due to the absence of protective gear.
However, the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health offered a different account.
The Director of Public Health, Dr Peter Attah, said the state officially recorded only one confirmed Lassa fever case in Awe.
Attah said the patient died before laboratory results were released, adding that investigations were ongoing to establish the status of other suspected cases and strengthen containment efforts.
Meanwhile, public health experts have urged residents to observe strict hygiene practices and report symptoms early, as authorities work to prevent further spread of the viral disease in Nasarawa State.