Expert blames faulty policy for Nigeria’s ‘endless Lassa fever crisis’

Lassa Fever is a viral hemorrhagic illness endemic to West Africa, especially Nigeria. It is transmitted primarily through contact with urine or feces of infected multi-mammal rats, or human body fluids.

Toby argued that if Lassa Fever is killing political elites the way it kills rural Nigerians, emergency protocols would have been triggered long ago.
“It is a glaring example of how poverty-driven diseases are routinely ignored.

“Frequent misdiagnosis, lack of diagnostic facilities in most states, and poor disease literacy among rural dwellers fuel the spread. Lassa fever is often mistaken for malaria or typhoid until it is too late.
“Lassa Fever is not just a virus, it is a mirror of Nigeria’s healthcare negligence.

Read also: Lassa fever death toll rises to 138 as virus spreads to 18 States

“It thrives on areas of poor sanitation, rodent infestations, and public misinformation, conditions, Nigeria has failed to improve. Lassa Fever has become a seasonal punishment for being poor and unprotected in Nigeria’s rural zones,” she said.

Toby called for the setting up of a dedicated inter-ministerial taskforce, with federal, state and local participation, solely focused on Lassa fever prevention, response, and awareness.

She stressed that, “Just like polio and malaria control programmes, Nigeria must launch a yearly dry season rodent control campaign, especially, in endemic states like, Edo, Ondo, Ebonyi, and Taraba”.

Toby further urged governments at all levels to, as a matter of urgency, train and deploy Lassa Watchers’, such like, local volunteers and health workers tasked with early detection, representing, and isolation procedures.