Lassa fever: Doctor cautions Enugu residents to desist from bush burning

IN Enugu State, efforts are being made by the government to combat Lassa fever especially with its proximity to Ebonyi State where about 40 health workers were reported to have died due to the dreaded disease in the state.

The Director of Public Health, Enugu State Ministry of Health, Dr Okechukwu Ossai, has cautioned the residents to desist from bush burning to avoid an influx of rodent into homes.

Dr Ossai who gave the advice in an interview with reporters in Enugu said that avoidance of bush burning would reduce the number of rodents that entered people’s homes thereby preventing the spread of Lassa fever which is caused by infected rats.

According to him, “The State Government had earlier this year warned that anybody caught indulging in bush burning would be severely dealt with. Bush burning will definitely cause rodents and rats in those bushes to find their ways into residential areas”

“Whenever we burn bushes around us, rats eventually run into our houses. They contaminate our food and other with their secretions, urine and excretions and this leads to contracting Lassa fever.”

He advised the people of the state to maintain a hygienic environment, adding that it was important to cover all food to prevent rodents’ contamination.

“People should always be careful and avoid contact with blood and body fluids to avoid contracting diseases. I advise patients with any sign of fever to go to the nearest health facility for treatment. Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, he concluded.