Director, Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr Michael Oguntoye has advised residents of the state that they should maintain a high level of hygiene in order to prevent Lassa-fever.
Oguntoye shared the advice during a Monday interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), in Ilorin.
He defined Lassa flu as an animal-borne zoonotic, acute, and viral disease that is endemic to West Africa’s Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
He advised the people to keep their environment clean and not allow vectors to thrive.
He stated that Lassa fever hosts could have Lassa fever droppings.
According to an epidemiologist Lassa fever is caused when animals are peri-domestic. The disease is carried by a type West African rat.
He explained that Lassa fever is caused by the multimammate rats, which are the most common rodents found in Equatorial Africa. They can be found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa.
It can be transmitted to humans by contaminated foods and drinks. He said that the public must maintain good hygiene and cover all food and drink.
NAN reports that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control recently reported that it had recorded 40 Lassa fever-related deaths for January. Four health workers were also infected in the wake of the latest outbreak in the country.
According to the agency, the 40 fatalities and 981 cases were reported by 43 local governments in 14 states in January 2022.
According to the public health agency, 49 deaths were reported cumulatively from Week 1 through Week 4 of 2022 with a case fatality ratio of 19.0 percent.
For January 2022 in total, 14 states had at least one confirmed case from 43 local government areas. The following states had the highest proportion of confirmed cases: Ondo, 30 percent; Edo 27 percent; Bauchi 25 percent.
The most affected age group is between 21 and 30 years old.
The number of cases suspected has increased over the 2021 reporting period.
The centre also noted that four health workers were infected thus far, with 233 cases under treatment and 617 cases undergoing contact trace. 968 cases have been added to the list for follow-up.
The agency stated that the states with the highest suspected cases were Edo, Ondo and Bauchi.
Others include Plateau, Cross Rivers, Borno and Anambra as well as Jigawa, Kebbi and Ogun, Kwara, Lagos and Lagos.