By Lanre Adesanya
In his usual proactive manner the Chairman, House Committee on Health Services of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Olulade has counseled residents in the state to be cautious and report to the nearest hospital any symptoms of Lassa fever.
Reacting to the news from Taraba State, where the outbreak of Lassa fever has been confirmed, with one person dead and two others quarantined, Olulade advised Lagosians to look out for every symptoms of the disease and immediately report if any of the symptom is discovered anywhere.
Notable amongst the symptoms according to the lawmaker include: nasal and anal bleeding, adding that people usually get infected with the Lassa Virus after exposure to infected rodents, while person to person transmission occurs through direct contact with the sick person.
The lawmaker, representing Epe Constituency II, also called on the residents of the state to avoid contact with rats, just as he urged them to do a total fumigation of their environment. “We just finished the Christmas and New Year celebration and there is no way our surroundings won’t be littered with dirt and remnants from food stuffs.
“So there is need for us to do a proper fumigation of our environments so as to prevent rats from our environment. Other precautionary measures include putting food in rodent proof containers and wearing
protections such as masks, gloves, gowns among others,” he added.
It could be recalled that a Lassa fever outbreak occurred in Taraba in February 2012 causing the death of 10 people including a doctor and two nurses who attended to the patients.
Lassa fever is described as an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of one to four weeks duration that occurs in West Africa. Experts say it is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items
contaminated with rodent urine or fecal matter.