Mangu (Plateau) – Mrs Christina Bise, wife of Mangu local government chairman, Plateau, on Monday advised women to keep their homes clean to avoid Lassa fever disease.
Bise gave the advice in Mangu during a sensitisation workshop for women groups’ officials on the danger of Lassa fever.
[pro_ad_display_adzone=”70560″]
She said that cleanliness of the home environment and proper package of both cooked and uncooked foods were the best ways to avoid the disease.
“We have lost quality and precious souls, especially in Mangu, where the disease first broke out in the state and we must do something drastic as mothers to prevent its scourge.
“As women and leaders of various groups, you should pass the message to your members on the need for them to rise to the challenge of saving their family members from death through cleanliness,’’ she said.
Bise said: “The only way to prevent Lassa fever is to promote community and household cleanliness, prompt disposal of waste and proper storage of food stuffs in rodent-proof containers.’’
The Guest Speaker, Mrs Martina Damlong, said Lassa fever virus is a single stranded RNA virus.
She said the virus “’affects or attacks human organs such as liver, spleen and kidney, resulting to death if not quickly and properly treated”.
Damlong, who is the state’s Disease Notification and Surveillance Officer, decried the number of people that died in the state as a result of the outbreak of the disease.
While declaring that “enough is enough’’ of the deaths, she admonished the public to always report to health officials any noticeable symptom of the disease on time to prevent further loss of lives. (NAN)