By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
The Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Paul Ejeh Ogwuche, on Tuesday disclosed that the ministry has activated emergency response measures against a potential coronavirus outbreak.
Ogwuche also said that the state has recorded zero cases of Lassa fever in the past four weeks.
The commissioner disclosed that the state has reactivated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centres and strengthened surveillance systems following concerns triggered by a reported coronavirus case in neighbouring Cross River State.
He assured residents that all response pillars are fully operational to contain any possible outbreak.
The commissioner noted that the state’s preparedness comes amid heightened public anxiety after a reported case of COVID-19 in Cross River, which shares a boundary with Benue.
Ogwuche while providing an update on Lassa fever, said the state is making significant progress, with no patient currently on admission and no confirmed case recorded in the last four weeks.
He, however, cautioned that surveillance remains ongoing, noting that the disease has an incubation period of up to 42 days.
“We are winning. For the past four weeks, we have continued screening without recording any positive case. If we sustain this within the incubation window, we can declare the state free of Lassa fever,” he said.
He attributed the success to early detection efforts, increased funding by the state government, and support from partners including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NSCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), alongside intensified public sensitisation and deployment of protective equipment.
On primary healthcare development, the commissioner said the government is scaling up the revitalisation of facilities across the state, with more than 110 centres already undergoing upgrades.
He added that plans are underway to strengthen all 276 ward-level primary healthcare centres with improved infrastructure, staffing, and essential medical supplies to enhance service delivery.
