By Abujah Racheal
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) says human-to-human transmission continues to contribute to the spread of Lassa fever in affected communities.
The agency said on Tuesday that human-to-human transmission fuelled Lassa fever spread particularly among healthcare workers and caregivers.
Dr Banji Ipadeola, Team Lead, Surveillance and Epidemiology Division of Global Health Protection, U.S. CDC, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to Ipadeola, although rodents remain the primary source of infection, exposure to body fluids of infected persons continues to drive transmission in homes and healthcare facilities.
“Lassa fever is largely transmitted by rodents, but there is also human-to-human transmission when people come in contact with the body fluids of an infected person,” he said.
He said healthcare workers could become infected while managing patients if infection prevention and control measures were not strictly observed.
He added that family caregivers and individuals involved in certain burial practices would also be at risk of infection through direct contact with infected persons.
The expert urged healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion when attending to patients presenting with symptoms such as fever, headache and body pains.
According to him, consistent use of personal protective equipment, hand hygiene and adherence to infection prevention protocols remain critical to reducing transmission in healthcare settings.
He said many patients delayed seeking treatment because the early symptoms of Lassa fever were often mistaken for malaria, typhoid fever and other common illnesses.
He urged Nigerians experiencing persistent fever and related symptoms to promptly seek care at health facilities for proper diagnosis and treatment.
He said the U.S. CDC had continued to support Nigeria in strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory capacity and outbreak response systems.
The epidemiologist also called on communities to reduce contact with rodents by storing food in sealed containers, maintaining clean environments and blocking rats’ entry points into homes.
According to him, community awareness remains essential to preventing infections and encouraging early treatment-seeking behaviour.
NAN reports that Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus.
The disease is primarily spread through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or droppings of infected rodents, but can also be transmitted through contact with the body fluids of infected persons.
Common symptoms include fever, headache, weakness and body pains, while severe cases may result in bleeding, hearing loss, miscarriage or death if not promptly treated.
(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ijeoma Popoola