Anambra: Tackling the Lassa fever disease by Odogwu Emeka Odogwu

Several months ago, it was Ebola that threatened the health expertise of Nigerian medics but the nation and its health workers responded respon-sively. It is now to say the least, a history but here comes Lassa fever, another disease in the same viral hemorrhagic fever group. But, Lassa fever is milder and can be treated and cured if detected early unlike Ebola that is more dangerous.
In Nigeria, over 200 people were reportedly under surveillance while over 76 deaths have been recorded penultimate week. It has spread to 17 states within two weeks. The virus is getting fatal by the day with death rate ranging from 5 per cent to 10 per cent in some states.
However, ribavirin, an antiviral drug which health experts say can effectively curb the consequential effects are on sale and may help patients reduce the viral load if taken early enough in the course of the disease. Infections occur mainly through exposure to infected rodents or their secretions, and also, among the people through direct contact with body fluids.
Luckily, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Anambra State branch within the week, organised a stake¬holders’ meeting for sensitisation on the preparedness and response plans against Lassa fever. At the event, the Red Cross, appealed to the state government to immediately establish a diag-nostic centre to tackle the disease.
Vice Chairman of Red Cross, Prof. Peter Katchy suggested that the equip-ment to be procured by the government should be installed at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, to bring diagnosis nearer to the people.
Prof Katchy expressed concerns that only one diagnostic centre existed at Urua in Edo State to serve the country, describing the situation as regrettable. He advocated for co-ordination and collaboration in order to harness and pool capa¬bility, capacity, strength to tackle any unforeseen cir-cumstance, including Lassa fever, should it comes.
He stated that “at times, these outbreaks occur to expose the repugnant atti-tudes of our leaders in pro¬viding modern facilities in the health industry”. Katchy however quoted officials of the state ministry of health confirming that there was no case of LFD yet.
On the prevention of LFD, Katchy said that the best means was the de-population of rodents in homes using rodenticides. “Avoid expo¬sure of food items, wash all dirty utensils, clean up and fumigate the environment to reduce rodent infections,” he. Said..
He also urged people who suspect they had contacted the disease, to observe symp¬toms like fever, vomiting of blood, stomach ache, cough, chest pain, nausea, diarrhea, dysphagia, pharyngitis, men¬ingitis, unilateral or bilateral hearing deficit, among others and report such to the near¬est hospital.
On the prevention of LFD, Katchy posited that the best means of controlling it include killing of rodents in homes using traps or rodenticides, observing proper personal and home hygiene, avoidance of exposure of food items. He also said that similar awareness exercise would be organized in the 21 local government areas and 177 communities of the state.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government, on Wednesday, assured that Lassa fever would become history by April. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole said, “We want to assure Nigerians that Lassa fever will soon become a thing of the past. It will become history in Nigeria. Ordinarily, Lassa fever will be eradicated from Nigeria in April.
“But if we do nothing, it will come back by August. So, we will make sure that we work all-year round to make sure that there is no resurgence in August.
“Our target is to eradicate it in April. Even if we have one or two cases, we will treat them early because all our antennae will be out to treat any case.”
Though an Anambra woman from Ifite Ogwari reportedly died of diseases associated with Lassa fever in Asaba, Delta State, the Anambra State Government said people should not panic as it has not been reported in the state.
In another development, Lagos state commissioner for health, Dr. Jide Idris revealed that 92 people had direct and indirect contact with the index case of a 25-year-old male undergraduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who reportedly became ill after arriving in Lagos and was taken to the Ahmmadiyyah Hospital, Ojokoro, on January 9 with complaints of fever and sore throat.
That was the sign of the virus and he was subsequently placed on admission for six days and was thereafter referred by the said private hospital to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on January 14, 2016, owing to the fact that the fever was persistent and his condition was not im¬proving.
The young man was confirmed as having Lassa fever on January 15, at LUTH, and is currently being man¬aged and his condition is now stable.
Any fever case with temperature above 38.5 degree would be isolated so as to prevent the spread of the disease. Signs and symptoms of Lassa fever which typically occur with incubation period of one to three weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus include fever, headache, chills, diarrheas, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint pains.
A major casualty are the populace who have been inflicted by another orgy of health challenge. Not just the people who eat rat as delicacy, but even farmers who produce garri, a major staple food in Nigeria and beyond. The Federal Ministry of Health recently warned that people should desist from drinking garri or if possible desist from even mmaking garri a major staple food because of fears that some of the sellers may have bought garri from places where storage may have been compromised. According to the ministry in its directory, poor storage could lead rats to find access and defecate or urinate on the garri at such localities or even in our homes, thereby making it vulnerable and thereby dangerous for consumption.
Although cassava processors have debunked the assertion, insisting that the virus could hardly survive the production process, they have no word against the storage lapses. They explained that the cyanide content in cas-sava dispells rats from feeding on it during production process. But what all these however drew attention to is the need for better hygienic practices in our homes.
Pointedly, the Chairman of Cassava Growers Association, Pastor Tayo Adewumi, agreed considerably with the health experts. He noted that if garri is not properly stored after production, rats could feed, urinate and defecate on it and so, expose people to Lassa fever.
Though he stated that: “It is very unusual for garri to be spread along the road, the fear is that when you expose it inside the house, then rats could come and crawl over and probably defecate on it and introduce the virus to humans.”
As a result of government intervention and activities in the area, pharmacists un¬der the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nige¬ria (PSN) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) expressed satisfaction with government’s handling of the situation.
The PSN in particular, commended President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, the National Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), for the steps taken so far at combating the Lassa fever epidemic in Nigeria.
PSN in a press statement, jointly signed by its President, Ahmed Yakassai, and National Secretary, Gbolagade Iyiola, said the strategies put in place by the minister since the outbreak proved government’s commitment to ur-gently control the outbreak.
The statement said PSN was particularly impressed with the outcomes from the emergency National Council on Health (NCH) meeting which approved among others, increase in number of diagnostic centres from six to 14, inauguration of Lassa Fever Eradication Committee and mobilisation of religious, traditional leaders and the media to fight the disease.
Also, the NMA in a statement signed by its President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, said there was no need for Nigerians to panic because government has risen to the task since the outbreak.
Besides, an international team of researchers has developed the largest genomic data set in the world on Lassa virus. The new genomic catalog con-tains nearly 200 viral genomes collected from patient samples in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, as well as field samples from the major animal reservoir, or host, of Lassa virus – the rodent Mastomys natalensis, also called the multi-mam¬mate rat.
The research shows that LASV strains cluster into four major groups based on geographic location, with three in Nigeria and one in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Although Lassa fever was first described in modern-day Nigeria in 1969, the current study also suggests that these four LASV strains originated from a common ancestral virus more than 1,000 years ago and spread across West Africa hundreds of years ago.
Prior to the study, data from only 12 complete genomes of LASV were available, despite the virus’ endemic presence in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and other parts of West Africa. The new cata¬log of data provides a foundation for ongoing research on LASV and offers insight into the virus’ origins and transmission.
The study was supported by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
If all hands get on the deck, the infection would not be anything to contend with, especially given the successes recorded in the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) control.
Odogwi is an Awka based journalist , blogger and commentator on National issues. 08060750240, [email protected]