Lassa Fever : Situation in Nigeria
Symptoms, Causes and Precautions
Lassa fever is also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever. It is caused due to the infection of a particular type of virus called the Lassa virus.
As of the 24th of January 2020, the number of confirmed cases rose to 195 with 29 confirmed cases of deaths were reported in 11 states in Nigeria.
There has been a drop in the case fatality rate (death rate) of reported Lassa fever cases from 23.4% in 2019 to 14.8% this year. The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) support healthcare centers in the country to effectively manage Lassa fever cases.
It is very important to prevent the spread of Lassa fever and thus let’s first understand what exactly it is and causes of its transmission and also, what precautions can be taken to prevent its spread.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of Lassa fever particularly occur in 2–21 days post coming into contact with the virus. This is called the incubation period of the disease.
Early symptoms include fever, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, weakness, muscle pain etc.
In worst case scenario, the patient bleeds from body openings. If a patient does not respond to treatment for malaria or other febrile illnesses after 48 hours, it is important to test immediately for Lassa fever.
Causes of Spread of Lassa Virus:
1. It mainly spreads through the rats infected with Lassa virus.
a. By coming into direct contact with urine, faeces, saliva or blood of infected rats.
b. Consuming foods or beverages which contain urine/faeces/saliva/blood of these rodents.
c. By coming into contact with the things, utensils, machines etc. which are contaminated with the infected fluids as mentioned above.
2. Also, direct transmission may occur if someone comes in contact with the fluids such as saliva, vomit, cough, urine etc. of people infected with Lassa virus. This generally occurs when the infection control/prevention practices are not optimal at home/healthcare centers/hospitals/clinics etc.
Precautions
Precautions should be taken to minimize the risk of infection by the following ways:-
1. Always keep your house, work place, healthcare centers, environment clean to avoid contact with rodents.
2. Take bath and also wash your hands frequently.
3. Cook all foods thoroughly.
4. Storage of foods should be in washed and clean vessels and containers and always keep the lids closed.
5. Always be careful when you are with lassa virus infected people around, do not come in contact with their body fluids or things contaminated with their soiled bedding/towels etc.
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References
https://www.who.int/csr/disease/
https://ncdc.gov.ng/news/215/nigeria-centre-for-disease-control-intensifies-response-to-ongoing-lassa-outbreak
