A #LassaFreeLagos Visit with the Staff and Students of the Government Senior College, Maroko
Abdullahi Ahmed and Rabiu Aminat
Alert Officers for Lagos Island and Eti-Osa LGAs
As part of the efforts to eradicate the scourge of Lassa fever in the country, EpidAlert, a health informative initiative, with state partners, has taken a step in ensuring a #LassaFreeLagos and Nigeria.
The Government Senior College, Maroko was our destination this morning. The Alert Officers for Lagos Island and Eti-Osa worked with the students today, to discuss fully about Lassa fever, its symptoms, prevention and control measures.
The reason for the inclusion of schools is quite simple; the spread of communicable diseases is amplified among students that lack knowledge and understanding of the diseases.
Many thanks are due to the Principal, Vice-Principal and entire staff of the school who granted us the opportunity to address the students. The students gave us rapt attention.
The information gaps were varied among students. From a quick sampling, we observed the following:
- Many of the students were only aware that rodents cause Lassa fever, but the method were unknown,
- Others lacked a clearer knowledge of symptoms, mode of transmission and prevention of Lassa fever,
- Yet others were unaware of the importance of reporting symptoms of infectious diseases, such as Lassa fever, to health authorities in their local government areas.
”No knowledge is wasted”, said the Vice Principal. Hence, the teachers also participated in the information sharing and were very receptive of the communication materials.
Many questions were asked at the end of the discussion and demonstration.
T*, an SS3 student was unclear on the spread of the infection through bodily fluids like sweat, urine, blood and feces. This point was extensively discussed, with analogies.
E*, a female SS1 student also said, “I heard on the news that many health workers died of Lassa, how and why?”
Subsequently, we explained that a high index of suspicion, the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other precautionary measures would stand in the stead of reducing the loss of lives from Lassa Fever in Nigeria.
Another student asked, “where does the (Mastomys) rat get the Lassa Fever virus from and why aren’t they dying?” At this point we explained that various wild animals have different naturally occurring diseases, which, they can pass it on easily through direct or indirect human contact.
They were happy at end of our discussion and they promised to share the information with friends and families when they get home. You can also do the same, from your desk or mobile, log on here.
The school’s Principal also collected our contact details and has asked us to visit again.
Please remember to Reach Out, Connect and Call! Let’s work together for a #LassaFreeLagos, the contact information to get help is below.
*The names of respondents in this field story have been changed.
