The Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, has initiated the National Deratization Framework Exercise aimed at preventing and controlling the spread of Lassa fever in the country.
The Minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mahmud Adam Kambari, briefed the press in Abuja, addressing the recent outbreak of Lassa fever reported at the 44 Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna State and its subsequent spread within the state.
He outlined that discussions with the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) shed light on the disease’s etiological pattern. Twelve suspected cases were identified, resulting in six fatalities. Additionally, two new cases emerged from Barau Dikko Hospital, while 92 individuals are currently under surveillance as contacts. The team visited the affected facility, the 44 Army Reference Hospital, on February 25, 2024.
Dr. Yakubu Baba Muhammad, the Registrar of the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON), echoed the Minister’s directive for all facilities, regardless of ownership, to undergo deratization procedures. He specified that EHCON would issue deratization exemption certificates to establishments such as hotels, markets, restaurants, and recreational centers.
Dr. Yakubu further revealed that the ministry has instructed EHCON to conduct extensive capacity-building efforts to update practitioners’ knowledge regarding innovative approaches for disease control. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of health education, promotion, and community awareness in combating the spread of Lassa fever.
“At the community level, the issue of waste management cannot be overemphasized. At this time and period, remnant food should not be exposed, while our foodstuffs and stores should be rat-proof. In the character of rats, once there is no food, rats vacate the house,” he added.
He further stressed the importance of reaching out to grassroots levels as an additional strategy to curb the spread of the disease. It is a shared responsibility where the government is fulfilling its duties, and citizens are urged to contribute their part.
He also mentioned the necessity of discouraging farmers from utilizing roads for drying farm products. This practice attracts rats, which may contaminate the area with their urine and feces, thereby spreading the virus responsible for the disease and contaminating food.