Doctor Dies from Lassa Fever

All stakeholders should do more to contain the scourge

The death of a medical doctor in Benue State after complications from Lassa fever should serve as another wake‑up call on the need to tackle a preventable disease that kills hundreds of our nationals every year. According to Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services Paul Ejeh‑Ogwuche, the deceased medical practitioner, who worked with the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria, had battled the illness for over two weeks before his condition worsened. Meanwhile, the latest Case Fatality Rate from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the death toll from the Lassa fever outbreak in the country has climbed to over 200, with health authorities warning of increasing infections across several states.

While we commiserate with the family of the deceased medical doctor, it is noteworthy that Lassa fever has been a serious health challenge in Nigeria since it was first diagnosed in Lassa, the village after which it was named, in Borno State in 1969. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, vomiting, back pain, cough, abdominal pain, and general body weakness about three weeks after exposure to the virus. The disease is primarily transmitted to humans through infected rats or through the bodily fluids of infected persons. Even though there have been efforts in the past to contain the scourge, the country has been witnessing frequent outbreaks in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, this could be attributed to reduced response capacity in surveillance and laboratory testing.

Not only is it egregious that Nigerians die needlessly from a preventable disease like Lassa fever, what the latest figures indicate is that if indeed there have been any preventive strategies, they are not working. Early detection and prompt treatment remain critical to survival. But to contain the preventable disease that claims the lives of dozens of our citizens on an annual basis, individuals and authorities in the health sector need to do more work.

For that reason, steps should be taken by the government at all levels to emphasise routine infection prevention and control measures. Healthcare workers should be more careful to avoid contact with bodily fluids while caring for sick persons. Experts have also advised that people should ensure their food is properly covered, that regular handwashing should be adhered to at all times, that the bush around the home should be cleared regularly, and that windows and doors should be closed, especially at night. The public should be adequately enlightened on the dangers posed by rats in their homes.

With the enormous resources available to them now, authorities in the 36 states and 774 local government areas should be able to mount sensitive campaigns about the disease that is also endemic in many of our neighbouring countries.

We need concerted efforts from all stakeholders, but especially the government. We hope the authorities will take both preventive and long‑term measures so that we do not continue to lose our citizens to the virus that has for decades been an emblem of shame.

The public should be adequately enlightened on the dangers posed by rats in their homes