Nigeria is currently faced with an outbreak of Lassa fever disease which has currently killed 63 people out of 212 reported cases in 18 of Nigeria's 36 states including the capital, Abuja.

Lassa fever is a viral disease caused by rats especially those with multi-mammary glands bearing up to sixteen breast which usually stays in the bush and coming in to residential houses to get food. So, the disease is transmitted to humans when they come in contact with infected rats, take food fed on by infected rats, come in contact with fluids or excreta from such rats. The disease, which has an incubation period of 6 to 21 days, presents with high fever of about 38 degrees Celsius, diarrhea, weakness, cough and some other symptoms including bleeding from all open parts of the body at extreme case.

This has thrown Nigerians into panic the same way the Ebola virus outbreak did more than a year ago. The government both at federal and state levels have called for total killing of all rats at sight while some government are spearheading the "rat-killing". In fact, the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria of Lagos State, Nigeria's commercial hub, initiated a "De-rat Market" programme to enable them kill as many rats as possible in the markets of the State to ensure the safety of materials purchased at such locations. The association has so far killed 7,243 rats in eight markets in Lagos State and so are other state governments encouraging the purchase and use of rat killers to ensure a stop to the spread of the infection.

However, I am worried about the rat population in Nigeria which is facing so much hard time now and it is really difficult distinguishing the "carrier" rats, which are multi-breasted and could be killed, from the ones which should be left free to roam. At the rate of the current killing, the rat population in Nigeria which is currently far from extinction may move close to being endangered.

I discussed the control measures with a public health physician, Dr. Nkiru Ezeama, on my University Radio and one of the things she suggested was that Nigerians should explore the option of having cats in their homes and I welcome such a control measure over most. She also advised Nigerians to maintain a healthy sanitation round-the-clock including watching their hands repeatedly.

I am really disappointed that this disease has taken the lives of fellow humans and it equally pains me to see these animals waste this way but when it happens this way, humans must be the priority. The insecticide being used to kill the rats is contributing tremendous environmental pollution just as the change in climate has proliferated the outbreak of deadly diseases in Nigeria in the last few years. I just hope that this ends soon and we don't continue to lose more from either sides (humans and rats).

 Photo I: Federal Ministry of Health

Photo 2: ngrguardiannews