Lassa fever comes back every year in Nigeria, with most cases between November and April. It is spread mainly by rats and can kill if treated late — but it is preventable, and early treatment saves lives. Here is what every household should know.
🐀 How it spreads
- Through food, water or surfaces contaminated by the urine or droppings of infected rats (multimammate rats, common in homes and farms).
- Eating rats, or handling them.
- From person to person through blood, vomit, urine or other body fluids of a sick person — often when caring for them or in hospitals without protection.
🌡️ Signs to look for
It starts like malaria or typhoid: fever, weakness, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and cough. In severe cases there can be bleeding from the mouth, nose or other places, swelling of the face and confusion.
If someone has a fever that does not get better after malaria treatment — especially if they have contact with rats or with a person who had Lassa fever — go to a hospital quickly and tell the health worker. Early treatment with the right medicine greatly improves survival.
🏠 Protect your home
- Store food, grains and garri in containers with tight lids.
- Keep the house and surroundings clean; clear bushes and rubbish where rats hide.
- Block holes in walls, doors and ceilings.
- Don’t dry food on the roadside or on open floors where rats run.
- Use rat traps; wear gloves to remove dead rats and wash your hands afterwards.
- Wash fruits and vegetables well, and wash hands with soap often.
