The Endemicity of Lassa Fever in West Africa; Appropriate Mitigative Measures

Abstract

Lassa fever is an ancient disease and is endemic in most West African countries. Importantly, Lassa fever is a dangerous and virulent disease because it exerts deleterious effects on many vital organs in the body. Due to its endemic nature and the yearly occurrence of the disease in terms of infection and mortality cases in some West African countries, specifically Nigeria, there is need to reexamine and reemphasize viable prevention alternatives. On this backdrop, this review provides a broad overview of Lassa fever, with the main emphasis on preventive measures. Infection with the Lassa fever virus has severe consequences on health; in this respect, multifaceted preventive measures that ensure and guarantee no contact with multimammate rodents should be adopted. Furthermore, contact with the feces and urine of multimammate rats should be avoided, personal hygiene should always be practiced, environmental sanitation should be ensured and carried out often, the consumption and eating of rats should be discouraged, abolished and ultimately stopped, and food containers should always be kept tight and closed.