The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has warned residents to keep their environment clean and free of rodents to avoid the lassa fever infection.
Idris in a statement in Lagos on Sunday said though no infection has been detected in the state,but the state government had to alert residents as there had been outbreaks of the disease in some other parts of the country.
He urged residents to take precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease in the state.
Idris 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.
“Please avoid contact with rats, cover your food and water properly, cook your food thoroughly, and block all hideouts and holes through which rats can enter the house.”
He also noted that grains and other dried food items should be stored in air-tight containers such that cats and rats which are the carriers of this virus do not have access to them.
Idris urged residents with symptoms of the disease which include general weakness, malaise headache, sore throat, nausea, diarrheoa, and vomiting to visit health centres in the state for urgent medical treatment.
He said,”Please go to the hospital once you have these symptoms,if left untreated an infected person may die, could start bleeding in the mouth, nose, vagina and may fall into coma or suffer kidney,liver failure.”
Culled from: www.punchng.com
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