According to Dr. Ejike Orji, a virologist and immediate past chairman of the Guild of Medical Directors, Abuja, Lassa fever is asymptomatic and the process of detecting the virus is complicated. The incubation period is about 6 to 21 days.
“The virus is very acute and can affect all the organs of the body. Carriers might be complaining of fever, muscle pain, fatigue and occasionally muscle swelling. They could also complain that their eyes are red and that is because of itching since Lassa causes haemorrhagic fever”.
Speaking further, Dr Orji said because of the haemorrhagic nature of the virus, it can also affect the gastrointestinal tracts so much so that an affected person might present with cases of nausea and vomiting which may be bloody. He added that apart from a bloody diarrhoea which an infected person is likely to come up with, there might also be some forms of stomach pains and even constipation. There could also be evidence of hepatitis.
Also, Lassa fever can affect the cardiovascular system as it might lead to hypertension or hypotension, causing the blood pressure to be high or low and the victim would have abnormal high range. Another grim picture of the virus is that the brain is not spared. Lassa fever can affect the brain or the nervous system and it might mimic meningitis. “The respiratory system is also at risk as an infected person can also come down with cough, chest pain and difficulty in breathing”, Dr Orji added.
Treatment
Being a haemorrhagic fever which is viral in nature, the Lassa virus is diagnosed by doing a laboratory test in a test centre. Dr. Orji said the first step in the treatment of a carrier of the virus is admitting and isolating the person, while also ensuring that the patient’s body fluid and excreta are properly disposed in order to prevent the spread. “For people to have a chance of survival, there must be early and aggressive treatment with a drug called ribavirin and of course the normal treatment you give to patients. There is also a drug we call interferon which can boost the immune system. “The normal treatment for people who have such viral infection is you must make sure you test the person and ensure the patient has enough (intravenous) fluids. Also if the person has bled so much, there might be need for some level of transfusion.”
Prevention
Being a viral infection, which can be easily spread, medical practitioners have always harped on prevention as the best form of treatment. Preventive measures in this regard refer to making efforts to control the rat population around the house, while also ensuring that no food is exposed to rodents since the urine and body fluid of rodents are the key things which cause Lassa fever transmission. “Some people eat rats; those people should be discouraged because transmission could happen when it is being prepared. It is just like we told people not to eat bats and bush meat during the Ebola period so people must make sure that they prevent contacts with rats and then they should cover their food very well”.
For those who also like to gulp down canned drinks without running a careful check, there could also be a grim picture as using a tissue paper to clean the opening is not enough to safeguard against the virus. For it to be safe for drinking, there would be need to use soap and water, the medic added.
“I always tell people not to drink directly from a canned drink. It can be dangerous because you don’t know whether rodents have urinated on them in the process of storage. It is important that we use soap and water to clean the openings of those things before they are served to people”, Dr Orji submitted. He added that another way of treating the virus is to get a person who has survived it since the anti-body can be used to treat someone that has the disease. Dr Lazarus Eze Also commenting on the issue, Dr Lazurus Eze, an Abuja-based public health physician, canvassed for government to ensure a safer environment by ensuring a timely and regular waste disposal and management in order to curb the spread of the virus. For him, Lassa fever can be prevented by keeping a clean environment and practising good personal hygiene. He harped on the need for individuals to ensure proper refuse disposal and avoid dumping of refuse in drainages and indiscriminately. “Lassa Fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by multimammates rats (Mastomy natalensis). The rats may transmit the virus to our uncooked food. Government at all levels should provide leadership and coordinate efforts to prevent further spread of Lassa fever. Health education at the community level, behavioural change, communication and proper waste management are effective primary prevention measures,” he asserted. Furthering, Dr Eze called on government at all levels to provide leadership and coordinate efforts to prevent further spread of Lassa fever. “Health education at the community level, behavioural change, communication and proper waste management are effective primary prevention measures”, Dr Eze said. Measures for health care workers Both medical practitioners also harped on the need for health workers treating the virus to be careful by observing universal precautionary methods and treating every fever with suspicion. “We know that in Nigeria, a lot of illnesses are due to Malaria, but now we have had Ebola and now we have Lassa so any health care personnel should manage feverish conditions with a lot of suspicion and maintain all universal precautions in terms of protecting themselves and then the other thing is making sure the patient is properly isolated, said Dr Orji. Dr Eze on his own part urged that personal protective equipment must be provided for health workers who are expected to observe universal precautions and best practices. Lassa fever and garri consumption Speaking on the likelihood of being infected with the virus through garri, fruits and other uncooked food items, Prof Oyewole Tomori, a former regional virologist for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and president of the Nigeria Academy of Science, confirmed that any food eaten raw or uncooked and contaminated with urine, blood, etc of a Lassa virus infected rodents can be a source of infection.
“Our food can get contaminated and if you eat without cooking, the possibility of getting infected is high. Once you cook the food items, you destroy the virus, so people smoking garri and all those kind of things are at risk. If the rodents urinate on the fruits and you pick up banana or carrot and you just start chewing it without washing, that could be dangerous, so it boils down to hygiene and cleanliness”.
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