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 Lassa fever: Facts, history, symptoms, Mode of transmission, Prevention and control.


    As we all know lassa fever is a viral infection prevalent in the western region of Africa. It is endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Libaria, Mali,  Sierra Leone and Nigeria. It is known to be transmitted through direct contact with food or household items which have been affected by the urine or faeces of the popularly known “Multimammate rat although Mastomy rats can also be infected and as a result carry the virus


History



Lassa fever was first described in the 1950s but the virus causing the disease was not Known until 1969. The illness was first discovered in 1969 and is named after a town in Nigeria where the first case occurred. An estimated 100 thousand to 300 thousand infections occur annually with about 5000 annual losses.


  Symptoms


    It’s  symptoms include fever, general weakness, and malaise at the early stage but after a few days muscle aches, chest pain, sore throat, headache, nausea, diarrhoea, cough, vomiting and abdominal pain may occur.

     In sever cases bleeding from the mouth nose facial swelling and low blood pressure  may occur.Check out the health benefits of the African bush pear

  Mode of transmission


    Lassa fever can be transmitted through exposure to urine or faeces that have been infected by “Multimammate rats” . It can also be spread by direct contact with blood urine and other body secretions of an infected individual.


  Prevention and control


    There is a popular maxim which goes prevention is better than cure so how do we prevent this disease?
    Keeping a keeping a clean and tidy environment is one of the preventive measures. Make sure your is environment kept clean your trash should be kept it outside your houses grains, gari, groundnut(peanuts), e.t.c should be well sealed. Setting up traps can also be helpful in catching the rodents, you could also consider buying a dog or cat. Make use of hand sanitizers and be sure you purchase your food from a trusted seller in a clean environment.


   Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section!

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