Via Punch, an editorial: Containing the Lassa fever spread. Excerpt:
NIGERIA is once again at the receiving end of the yearly offensive of the deadly Lassa fever disease. But, working in close collaboration with the World Health Organisation and other experts already in the country, she is slowly but surely rolling back the spread of the current outbreak, which has already claimed scores of lives. Thereafter, there will be the usual lull before the storm, following which there will be an eruption of yet another round of the viral haemorrhagic fever, when deaths will be reported again in nearly all parts of the country.
This has been the steady and unaltered pattern over the years. Since the disease was first described in the 1950s and the virus causing it identified in 1969 in Lassa town in Borno State, not much has been achieved in terms of halting its rampant spread. Rather, efforts have been concentrated mainly on the management of the sick, which has made it possible for the disease to continue to spread to new areas of the country. It has not come as a surprise that Lassa fever has become endemic in many parts of the country and beyond.
This year alone, the outbreak has been reported in more than 33 states of the federation, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. This is barely short of overwhelming the entire country and it is difficult to say how far it would eventually go before grinding to a halt. States where cases have been reported so far include Ondo, Bauchi, Cross River, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Plateau, Delta Imo, Adamawa, Kwara and Benue. No official reason has been given for the alarming spread, but it may not be unconnected with the high rate of human mobility that occurred across the country as a result of the just-concluded elections. It is possible that some infected people may have taken it to other parts of the country as they travelled.
An acute viral haemorrhagic fever, just like the deadly Ebola that is currently ravaging the Congo Democratic Republic, Lassa fever is primarily contracted through exposure to the urine or faeces of a species of rat called multimammate or Mastomys rat. It is also possible to be infected by coming in contact with the blood, urine, faeces and body secretions of an infected person. The outbreak is usually common in dry seasons when these rats find their way into people’s homes in search of food after human activities such as bush burning or clearing dislodge them from their natural habitat.
Over time, the concerted efforts of humanity have led to the eradication of some very deadly diseases, especially smallpox, which used to be a prolific killer across the world, including Europe. Right now, the world is also on the cusp of ending the scourge of poliomyelitis, once a global child killer, whose presence has now been confined to just three countries, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. Perhaps the same can be done of Lassa fever, a zoonotic disease that can also be spread from man to man. Even when it is not possible to completely eradicate it, a conscious effort should be made to limit its unbridled spread.
Beyond Nigeria, Lassa fever is known to be endemic in the West African states of Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone, among others. In fact, more countries are likely to start experiencing outbreaks if efforts are not shifted from mere treatment to possible eradication or rigorous containment. This can be done by focusing on the elimination of rats from homes and making it difficult for them to find their way back.
When symptoms such as fever, general weakness, headache, sore throat, muscle and chest pains, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain are noticed, it is important to visit the hospital promptly, where proper diagnosis can be done. This will avoid its being mistaken for shigellosis, malaria, typhoid fever, Ebola virus disease and yellow fever, which all seem to share symptoms. Experts also recommend contact tracing, a common practice in tracking Ebola, to be able to limit the spread.
