LASSA FEVER
Hi everyone it me once again, your brother, friend and fellow steemian. Today I will be educating everyone on a very important and helpful hints against some viral infection which looms around our neighborhood and also within us.**
Last month i received a text message from U-report about the outbreak of a great epidemic viral disease which have claimed a lot of lives of both young and old most especially in Africa countries. I was shocked and perplexed over this sudden appearance of this disease called "Lassa Fever".**
Today i shall be exposing some useful like :-
1 • What Lassa Fever is?
2 • Background of Lassa Fever.
3 • How it can be transmitted.
4 • Symptoms of Lassa Fever.
5 • Prevention and Control.
6 • Diagnosis
7 • Treatment and prophylnxis.
8 • History of Lassa Fever in Nigeria.
What is Lassa Fever?
Lassa Fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic (A heavy release of blood within or from the body) illness of 2-21 days duration that occurs in West Africa.
This Lassa virus can be transmitted from one human to another via contact with food or items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces such as 🐀 'rat'. Person to person infection sweat and laboratory transmission can occur, particularly in hospital lacking adequate infection prevention and control measure.
Lassa Fever is known to been endemic in most West Africa countries like Benin, Guinea, Mali, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra lone, and also Nigeria.**
Background
This Lassa virus has been in existence over a long period of time in the record of man. This virus "Lassa Fever " the virus causing Lassa disease was not identified until 1969. The virus is a single - stranded RNA virus belonging to the virus family called "Arenaviridea",partner in crime like the (Ebola). This virus affects several organs such as the liver, spleen, kidney, and the blood cells.**
Lassa Fever is a zoonotic disease (meaning an animal disease such as rabies, anthrax, that can be transmitted to humans).**
The animal the host, of the Lassa virus rat of the genus 'Mastony' commonly known as "multimammate rat". This rats which are the carrier of virus do not get ill, but can share this virus to humans through their urine, faeces. **
Because of the various symptoms which are associated with this disease, it has make detection of this disease in affected patient more difficult. When presence of this disease is confirmed in a community, however, prompt isolation of the affected people, good infection prevention and control practices and rigorous contact tracing can stop the outbreak.**
Symptoms of Lassa Fever
**The incubation period of Lassa Fever ranges from 2-21 days. It usually start with fever, general weakness,and malaria. After few days, the virus must have conquered some of the blood cells wall which help to guide against germs and diseases leading to headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea vomiting, coughing, diarrhea and abdominal pain most especially for ladies. In a severe case which which is usually the last stage beings with facial swelling, fluid in the lungs cavity, bleeding from the mouth and eyes, nose vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure. **
Death usually occurs within 14days of onset in fatal cases. This disease is especially severe in late pregnancy with maternal death / fetus loss occurring in more than 80% of cases during the third trimester (usually a period of three months or about three months). **
The pictures below is the anti-HIV group sensitising the whole Corp member of how to keep their environment clean and be cautious of the disease Lassa Fever. In the picture is Antonio who study biochemistry from UNIlag give a lecture on how to wash our hands clean and doctor Clara who studied medicine from ile-ife university did justice to the case of Lassa Fever.
Keep your environment clean and tidy. Also make sure to dispose your waste properly and also cover you food items in a good containers. Join me next time to discuss more about the symptoms, prevention, control and the history of Lassa Fever in Nigeria. Let get Lassa Fever out of our country.
Never forget to join our community group on whatsapp. "Silent tears of minnows ".
https://chat.whatsapp.com/4jrWDcKIlXU0EFqALd1y1S
| Curation-trail | Post Topic |
|---|---|
| @olusolaemmanuel | Lassa Fever |
I think it also circles back to cleanliness. I hope doctors in West Africa can manage it effectively to prevent more deaths.
yes o, it is more worse than HIV
More people needs to be sensitize on the dangers of these diseases. Thanks for sharing
you are welcome, stay cool for the rest post
May God just continue to protect us akk