A senior resident doctor at Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH), Jos, Dr. Salome Oboyi, has died after contracting Lassa fever in the course of treating an infected patient, sparking renewed concern over the safety of frontline health workers in Nigeria.
Dr. Oboyi reportedly became infected in early February 2026 while attending to a patient later confirmed to have Lassa fever. Despite medical intervention, she succumbed to the illness days later, leaving colleagues and the wider medical community in mourning.
Health authorities confirmed that her death occurred amid a wider Lassa fever outbreak in Plateau State, with multiple cases recorded across several local government areas, including Jos North, Jos South, Shendam, Wase, Mangu and Qua’an Pan. At least six confirmed cases and four deaths have been reported so far.
The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, said emergency public-health measures have been activated, including contact tracing, surveillance and community sensitisation, to contain the outbreak.
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) described Dr. Oboyi’s death as devastating and called for urgent action to improve infection-prevention measures, access to protective equipment and early diagnosis of infectious diseases.
Public health experts warned that healthcare workers remain particularly vulnerable during outbreaks when protective protocols are weak. Lassa fever, an endemic viral haemorrhagic disease in Nigeria, is spread through contact with infected rodents or bodily fluids of infected persons, and poses a significant risk in healthcare settings without adequate safeguards.
Authorities have urged residents to maintain proper hygiene, store food safely and seek prompt medical attention if symptoms such as fever, vomiting or headache develop.
The death of Dr. Oboyi has reignited calls for systemic reforms to protect medical personnel, highlighting the ongoing strain on Nigeria’s healthcare system and the dangers faced by doctors working on the frontlines of disease outbreaks.
