Lassa Fever And Its Prevention

Lassa Fever got its name from the name of a town in Borno state, Nigeria where it was first discovered in 1969.
Lassa fever virus has its primary carrier as rat. Humans could be infected with Lassa fever by contact with food or household items contaminated with infected rat excreta or urine. Among humans, the lassa fever virus is spread from and infected person through contact with contaminated body fluid and waste products.

When once one is infected, the early symptoms ranges from fever, headache, malaise, myalgia, cough, pharyngitis, vomiting to retrosternal pain. The infection could only be confirmed through a laboratory test. At the advanced stage of the disease, the symptoms include high fever, serious headache, pains in the chest region, dry and sore throat, continuous stooling and vomiting and bleeding from the mouth, nose and vagina and finally death.



The incubation period of Lassa Fever is 21 days. If a person is suspected to have the disease, he will be put in an isolation room for 21 days in order to confirm if he/she has the disease or not through a laboratory test.

Preventive Measures
1. Kill all rats within your location using rodenticides; office or home.
2. Ensure food is properly covered, either cooked or uncooked.
3. Store grains in rodent-proof containers.
4. Liquid soap and antiseptics should be used to wash the hands and hand sanitizer used thereafter.
5. Also, other rules of regular hand-washing should be adhered to always.
6. Maintain clean envirnment and proper waste disposal.
7. Improve your body immunity with good nutrition and other good habits.
8. Report any suspected cases to the appropriate health institution.
9. Medical personnel should wear protective gloves and mask when treating suspected people and those who are infected with the disease.