Residents of Ondo State have been advised to maintain a healthy environment and avoid rats from getting in contact with their food, so as to prevent the spread of Lassa fever in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, stated this on Thursday at a sensitisation meeting on the management and control of Lassa fever held in Owo town of Ondo State, southwest Nigeria.
The meeting comes up after a case of the viral disease was confirmed at the Federal Medical Centre in the town, while two other suspected cases are still being investigated.
The Commissioner had earlier stopped on the highway between Akure and Owo to educate some residents on the need to stop spreading food substances such as cassava and yam flour near bushes, in order to prevent rats from contaminating the food.
He disclosed that the state government had made funds available to procure the equipment for testing the disease, as the victims pass through a lot of suffering which worsens their situation when they are being transferred to Edo State for treatment.
Speaking to reporters, a public health physician, Dr. Olufemi Ayodeji, explained the cause of the disease and how it is transmitted.
He said that the symptoms of Lassa fever include body pains, vomiting and the regular fever just like malaria, saying it could only be diagnosed through medical tests on the victims.
The Vice Chairman of Owo Local Government, Mr Olusola Owadasa and the traditional ruler of one of the towns in the area, Oba Omotunde Adako, voiced their support for the sensitisation programme.
They promised to help disseminate relevant information and also educate their people about the disease.
