Lagos – Mr Segun Olulade, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health, on Tuesday advised residents to keep their environment clean in order to prevent the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.
Olulade (APC-Epe II) gave the advice in a statement issued in Lagos against the backdrop of reported cases of Lassa fever outbreak in Taraba.
He urged the residents to immediately report any symptom of the disease to the nearest public hospital.
The statement said that reports had confirmed three persons dead and two others receiving treatment in Jalingo, Taraba.
“Lagosians should look out for any symptoms of the disease and immediately report to the appropriate government body.
“We just finished the Christmas and New Year celebrations and there is no way our surroundings won’t be littered with dirt and remnants of food.
“So there is need for us to do a proper cleaning of our environments so as to prevent rats associated with Lassa fever,’’ the lawmaker said.
The statement said that some of the symptoms associated with Lassa fever include nasal bleeding and bleeding through the anus and mouth.
It said that people usually get infected with the Lassa Virus after exposure to infected rodents, while person to person transmission occurred through direct contact with the sick person.
The statement, which called on the residents of the state to avoid contact with rats, urged them to do a total fumigation of their environment.
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“Other precautionary measures include putting food in rodent proof containers and wearing protections such as masks, gloves, gowns when in contact with infected persons, among others.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls 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.
It is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or fecal matter. (NAN)
