Abuja – Dr Ogugua Osi-Ogbu, Consultant Physician and Geriatrician, National Hospital, Abuja, has advised governments to provide quarantine facilities in public hospitals to avoid rejection of patients with suspected Lassa fever cases.
Osi-Ogbu, who also doubles as the Coordinator, Lassa fever Prevention Control in the hospital, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
The expert noted that the absence of quarantine facilities in public hospitals increased the risk of others getting infected by the virus.
She said those not infected by the virus were at risk through direct contact with body fluid, blood, urine and vomitus of infected persons, hence the need to quarantine suspected cases.
“Humans can infect other humans when we touch directly any of the body fluid of an infected person, the blood, the urine , the vomitus of an infected person, it contaminate the skin and transmits the virus.
“It could also be acquired when infected rats contaminate our food, drinking water, cooking utensils with both their excreta and urine.
“Also a bite from infected rats and those who eat rats as food are at high risk,’’ she said.
Osi-Ogbu explained that Lassa fever was in a group of diseases called viral haemorrhagic fevers, acquired from animals with zoonotic infection, such as rats with multiple breast tissues, a very long snout, long tail and hair less which could be found in bushes.
She said Lassa fever presents similar symptoms like malaria and typhoid, adding that when acquired the virus has an incubation period of six to 21 days before its manifestation.
She noted that about 20 per cent of persons who acquire the virus manifest the features of the infection whereas 80 per cent might have the virus and have no symptoms.
The coordinator described the features had a high grade fever of 38 degrees centigrade, headaches, body pains, which usually manifest in the first week of the illness.
She added that subsequently patients develop sore throat, cough, bleeding from the skin, develop seizures, also go into comma.
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She stated that the late stage of the diseases, which could lead to death when a patient develops multi organic failure could affect the liver and kidney, among others tissues.
On preventive measures, she advised on the need to keep homes and environment clean and free of rats.
“To break the transmission from rats to human beings, we need to avoid contact with the rats, avoid eating them as food, ensuring our environment is very clean, with no baggage around the home as well as cutting down bushes in our surroundings.
“Our food must be well covered, drinking water covered with a lid, so the rats don’t get in, cooking utensils, cups and plates must be kept clean and stored away in places that are rat proof.
Osi-Ogbu stated the need for individuals to take precaution when purchasing Garri in the market as the practice of drying it on the road side exposes it to infected rats.
“People dry Garri on the road, that practice needs to stop because the rats can easily contaminate the Garri, and we just soak it and drink, we don’t cook, it must be produced in a hygienic way.
She further noted that the process of cooking, drying and frying food could eliminate the virus.
On preventive measures of human to human transmission, she explained that health workers such as, must protect themselves by wearing gloves, gowns, masks when handling suspected cases.
“I recommend to those in the medical field in this season of Lassa fever epidemic which is usually from November to April, to have a heightened index of suspicion, when handling suspected cases.
“We must also isolate a person with such symptoms and notify the state council for Lassa fever immediately.’’
She added that families, loved ones and friends should also protect themselves when caring for sick persons with high fever, and avoid contact with body fluid, adding that Lassa fever is treatable with early diagnosis of the infection.
The geriatrician advised that when people infected with malaria apply treatment for 48 to 72 hours without any significant improvement, such an individual should visit medical facilities for proper diagnosis. (NAN)
