In the wake of reported cases of Lassa fever outbreak in parts of the country, Lagos State has stressed the need for members of the public to ensure and maintain adequate personal and environmental hygiene at all times as part of the precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this in a statement in Lagos today, also advised members of the public to avoid contact with rats, cover their food and water properly, cook all their food thoroughly, as well as block all rat hideouts and holes through which rats can enter the house.
Idris similarly stressed the importance of storing grains and other dried food items in containers with covers, properly disposing of refuse, maintaining adequate sanitation, as well as keeping pets like cats in the house.
Idris explained that Lassa fever is an acute viral infection caused by the Lassa virus that is associated with persistent high fever, adding that as the disease progresses into a severe form, the patient begin to develop facial swelling, fluid in the chest, bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina and the gut, low blood pressure, shock, disorientation, coma and kidney and liver failure.
According to him, other usual symptoms include general weakness, malaise headache, sore throat, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
He said: “Lassa fever is an acute viral infection caused by the Lassa virus and associated with persistent high fever. It is spread by exposure to and eating of foods contaminated with rat dropping or urine. It is also spread by direct contact with the blood, urine, faces or other bodily secretions of person with Lassa fever.”
He pointed out that members of the public should report the case of anybody with the above symptoms or persistent high fever not responding to standard treatment for malaria and typhoid fever to the nearest health facility in the state just as he advised health workers to ensure that they take universal safety precautions when dealing with patients.
The commissioner noted that though Lagos State is not in the Lassa fever belt region, members of the public should practice adequate personal and environmental hygiene at all times as it is only by so doing that the outbreak of the disease can be prevented in the state.
He also advised them to contact the Directorate of Disease Control in the state’s Ministry of Health or the following telephone numbers: 08023228573, 08023213333 or 08033329327 for more information on the disease.