Jalingo , Nigeria: The death toll from Lassa fever at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo, Taraba State, has risen to 51, hospital officials confirmed on Friday.
The Head of Clinical Services, Dr Suleiman Abubakar Kirim, disclosed this while speaking to our correspondent in his office on Friday.
The 51 deaths occurred among cases reported to the facility between November 2025 and April 2026. All patients and their relatives have been admitted to the isolation centre inside the FMC.
Rising Cases
Dr Kirim said that between November 2025 and April 2026, the facility recorded 303 suspected cases of Lassa fever. Of these, 134 were laboratory‑confirmed, and 95 of the confirmed cases were admitted to the treatment centre.
Forty‑six patients were successfully treated and discharged, while 51 died in the hospital.
Kirim said the number of cases had overwhelmed the current medical staff, following the departure of several doctors due to the ongoing brain drain — commonly referred to as the “Japa syndrome”.
Government and NGO Interventions
He disclosed that during the outbreak, the Taraba State government intervened by sending consumable drugs and medical personnel to assist the FMC.
“Apart from the Taraba State government that sent drugs, consumables and medical personnel, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has sent consumable drugs — though not medical personnel as before,” Kirim stated.
“There is also a non‑governmental organisation, Medical San Frontier (Doctors Without Borders). They came in, studied the outbreak and started an intervention. They came through the state government, reached us, and are now training and assisting in the treatment of patients,” Kirim added.
He called on all levels of government to assist in creating awareness among local communities to prevent further casualties.
