Protecting the family against Lassa Fever; Salient Things To Know- Medical Practitioner
One of the deadly diseases that has become prevalent in Ghana, and as of Sunday, February 26, 2023, has claimed one life is the Lassa Fever disease.
A statement issued by the Ghana Health Service on Sunday, February 26, 2023, announced the alarming rate at which the Lassa fever disease is spreading in Ghana.
According to the statement, two cases of Lassa Fever have been confirmed in Accra after tests by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
Out of the two, one couldn’t survive and the incident has now become a canker which needs an immediate solution.
What are we not doing right that has triggered the rise of this deadly disease in Ghana?
To find the accurate answer to this question, The Ghana Report reached out to Dr Michael Pobee Ankomah, a medical Doctor with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital who highlighted the genesis, causes, symptoms, and possible preventions of the disease.
According to Dr Pobee, “Lassa fever is a form of haemorrhagic condition caused by Lassa virus and one is prone to getting the disease when he or she comes into contact with rat faeces or urine”.
“It can also spread from one person to another by coming into contact with the body fluids of the infected person”, he added.
Speaking on how the disease evolved, he said that Lassa fever is endemic in West Africa specifically Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana and their neighbouring territories.
According to him, the first documented case of Lassa fever occurred in 1969 and the disease is named after the town in Nigeria where the first case was confirmed.
“About 100,000 to 300,000 infections of Lassa fever occur annually, with about 5,000 deaths”, he noted.
Dr Pobee advised Ghanaians and those in West African countries to take effective measures to prevent their families from catching the disease since the possibility of one losing his or her life after getting the disease is very high.
Speaking on how families can protect themselves from the deadly disease, he said because the disease spreads from one person to another by coming into contact with an infected person with body fluid, there is a need to maintain a very high sense of personal hygiene at home, the workplace and at all social gatherings.
He also advised that washing hands consistently, wearing nose masks, and using sanitisers and other preventive detergents can help to prevent the family from getting Lassa fever. It is also important to clear rodents in homes, cook food properly and cover food to prevent rodents from contaminating it with faeces or urine, and keep the house and the environment clean always.
Dr Michael Pobee Ankomah entreated family members with symptoms of breathing difficulties, vomiting regularly, facial swelling, bleeding through the nostrils, chest and abdominal pains, back pains, fever, weakness and regular aches to visit any hospital for a Lassa fever test.