Assessment of Preparedness and Community Based /nƚĞƌǀĞnƟŽn Strategies for WƌĞǀĞnƟŽn and Control of Lassa Fever in Rural Malete, Kwara State
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Date
2021-12-31
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Abstract
Background: The outbreak of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
(VHFs) in the West African sub region in recent timĞƐ had
nĞŐĂtivĞ consequences on the health systems, ŝnƚĞrnĂtiŽnĂů
travels, movements and trades. Nigeria is Ɛtiůů bĂƩůŝnŐ with a
ƐŝŐnŝĮcĂnƚ spread of Lassa Fever (LF) outbreak.
Aims: This study assessed preparedness and community bas
ed ŝnƚĞrvĞntiŽn strategies for ƉrĞvĞntiŽn and control of
Lassa fever in rural Malete, Kwara State.
Methodology: This was a ĚĞƐcrŝƉtivĞ cross ƐĞctiŽnĂů study
carried out among. Two hundred ĮŌy
nine (259) people in rural Malete. Study respondents were s
elected using mƵůtiƐƚĂŐĞ sampling technique. A well structur
ed, paper based, interviewer administered qƵĞƐtiŽnnĂŝrĞ w
as used for data cŽůůĞctiŽn͘ Data was analyzed using
^ƚĂtiƐticĂů Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0,
ƐŽŌwĂrĞ package for windows (IBM SPSS, 2017) ĚĞƐcrŝƉtivĞ
and classical ƐƚĂtiƐticƐ were adopted and the level of
ƐŝŐnŝĮcĂncĞ for the ƐƚĂtiƐticĂů tests was set at ≤ 0.05.
Result: More than half of the respondents 75(64.7%) in the
age group (21-30 years) agree they know strategies against
Lassa fever ƉrĞvĞntiŽn and control in Malete, 35(57.6%) in
the age group (31-40 years) of the respondents also agree
they know strategies against Lassa fever ƉrĞvĞntiŽn and
control in Malete. Majority 39(77.3%) of respondents in the
age group (41-50 years) agree they know strategies against
Lassa fever ƉrĞvĞntiŽn and control in Malete. 12(52%) of
the respondents in (51 above years) years category agree
that they know if the state rĞŐƵůĂtiŽnƐ for ƉrŽƚĞctiŽn against
rĂĚŝĂtiŽn is available.
Discussion: Past epidemic control in Nigeria have occurred,
leaving ůŝƩůĞ or no traces of ĞxŝƐtinŐ control structures
behind and preparing no ground for future outbreaks and
ůŝƩůĞ or no emphasis on preparedness. Adequate training
and retraining of health care providers as well as the
establishing well equipped ŝnĨĞctiŽƵƐ disease clinics,
laboratories and research centers would help in the prompt
containment, diagnosis and treatment of Lassa and would
help in ĂvĞrtinŐ possible future outbreaks
Description
Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in West Africa.
The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses
died in Nigeria. The virus is named ĂŌĞr the town in Nigeria
where the ĮrƐƚ cases occurred. The virus, a member of the virus
family Arenaviridae, is a single stranded RNA virus and is
njŽŽnŽtic or animal borne. Lassa fever is endemic in parts of west
Africa including Sierra Leone
including
Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria; however, other
neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for
Lassa virus, the ΗmƵůtimĂmmĂƚĞ rat" (Mastomysnatalensis) is
distributed throughout the region. In 2009, the ĮrƐƚ case from
Mali was reported in a traveler living in Southern Mali; Ghana
reported its ĮrƐƚ cases in late 2011. Isolated cases have also
been reported in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso and there is
serologic evidence of Lassa virus ŝnĨĞctiŽn
in Togo and Benin. The number of Lassa virus ŝnĨĞctiŽnƐ per year
in West Africa is ĞƐtimĂƚĞĚ at 100,000 to 300,000 with approxim
ately 5,000 deaths. Unfortunately, such ĞƐtimĂƚĞƐ are crude,
because surveillance for cases of the disease is not uniformly
performed. In some areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia, it is
known that 10%-16% of people ĂĚmŝƩĞĚ to hospitals every year
have Lassa fever, which indicates the serious impact of the
disease on the ƉŽƉƵůĂtiŽn of this region. The ŝncƵbĂtiŽn period
for Lassa fever varies from 6-21 days. It is ƐymƉƚŽmĂtic and
usually characterized by fever, myalgia, nausea, vŽmŝtinŐ͕ sore
throat, abdominal and chest pains. Illness may progress to more
serious symptoms including hemorrhaging, neurological
problems, hearing loss, tremors and ĞncĞƉŚĂůŝtiƐ͘ Lassa virus is
njŽŽnŽtic and infected rodents in the Mastomys natalensis
species complex are reservoirs capable of ĞxcrĞtinŐ the virus
through urine, saliva, excreta and other body ŇƵŝĚƐ to man.
Secondary human to human spread within a community may
occur through ŝnŚĂůĂtiŽn or ŝnŐĞƐtiŽn͘ Nosocomial transmission
is also not uncommon. Lassa fever is an acute viral illness
endemic to several countries in of West Africa [1]. Lassa fever is
one of the diseases for which weekly epidemiology rĞƉŽrtinŐ to
the health ĂƵƚŚŽrŝtiĞƐ is being done in Nigeria.