Health experts are warning the public about the dangers of poor food storage, stressing that it plays a major role in the spread of Lassa fever.
They explained that leaving dry food on the floor makes it easy for rodents carrying the virus to contaminate it.
Rodents infected with Lassa fever are often attracted to exposed food. Once they come into contact with it, they can leave behind urine or faeces containing the virus. If people consume such food without proper handling or cooking, it poses a serious health risk.
Experts noted that the danger is higher when contaminated food is eaten after being soaked in cold water without thorough cooking.
This can easily lead to Lassa fever infection, which, if untreated, can cause severe illness or death.
They emphasised that proper storage and careful food handling are essential in preventing outbreaks.
At one of the sessions of the ongoing ECOWAS Lassa Fever International Conference in Abidjan, Director of Public Health at the Edo State Ministry of Health in Nigeria, Dr. Stephenson Babatunde Ojeifo, shared findings from their research and explained that gari, a staple food in many West African countries, is often dried in the open under the sun, exposing it to rodent contamination.
“This is a risk factor,” Dr. Ojeifo said in his presentation. He cautioned that while people cannot be stopped from eating gari, it should not be left on the floor or dried in places where rodents can access it.
“We should completely dry our gari on the fire, not on the floor,” he advised, especially for people who soak gari directly in water without heating it.
He added that this advice applies to all foods usually dried on the floor or in the sun, but consumed directly without further heating or cooking.
“Ensure that the gari you are soaking to eat is completely dried by fire, not by sun, so that we can be saved from Lassa fever,” he emphasised.
According to him, simple steps like these can help people reduce their risk of infection significantly.
But that is not the only source of exposure. In Grand Bassa County in Liberia, for example, between 60 and 65 per cent of Lassa fever cases are women.
An epidemiologist at the National Public Health Institute, Alvan Coker, explained that these women often prepare rodents brought home for food, exposing them to the virus.
Three counties in Liberia are known to record Lassa fever cases. Research shows that infections are spreading into once disease-free areas, with a fatality rate of 56 per cent.
Alvan added that keeping the environment clean is one of the most effective ways to reduce rodent populations in communities. Poor waste disposal, overgrown weeds near homes, and thatched houses with large holes make it easier for rodents to thrive and increase the risk of infection.
Other panellists at the conference made similar calls, urging communities to improve hygiene and sanitation as part of the fight against Lassa fever.
