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The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cletus Shurkuk, confirmed over the weekend in Jos that the state has recorded three cases of Lassa fever, resulting in two fatalities. According to Dr. Shurkuk, the cases were identified in Kanam and Shendam Local Government Areas (LGAs). One patient passed away in Shendam, while the other succumbed at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi. The third patient is currently receiving treatment.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has intensified alertness at the country’s points of entry, including airports, subsequent to the confirmation of an Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Uganda.

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has issued an emergency humanitarian waiver allowing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to continue providing life-saving HIV treatment in low-income countries. PEPFAR supports over 20 million people living with HIV, making up two-thirds of all people receiving treatment globally. However, its funding was temporarily halted for at least 90 days following President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Foreign Aid, leaving millions uncertain about their treatment.

A Nigerian medical professional, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, who is popularly referred to as Aproko Doctor on social media, has raised concerns over the Nigeria’s healthcare service delivery following the reported halt in the United States’ funding to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

The Benue State Government has officially confirmed the outbreak of rabies in Kwande and Gboko Local Government Areas. Dr. Aondoakaa Asambe, the Director-General of the Benue Bureau of Livestock Development and Transboundary Animal Diseases Control, announced this development in Makurdi, the state capital. Dr. Asambe stated that the bureau was notified of suspected rabies cases after reports emerged of multiple individuals being bitten by dogs in Adikpo, Kwande, and Gboko. A total of seven people were bitten by two dogs, prompting the government to initiate contact tracing to identify and monitor those affected.

A study by researchers from Canada and the United States has revealed that adults over 65 who experienced parental divorce during childhood may have a higher risk of stroke. Published in PLOS One, the study found that 1 in 9 adults aged 65+ whose parents divorced reported having a stroke, compared to 1 in 15 whose parents did not divorce. Researchers from the University of Toronto, Tyndale University, and the University of Texas at Arlington conducted the study.