Here are some of the top comments on suggestions to rid the country of the disease put forward by respondents:
- Killing them [rats], yes. But not with cats as they may also become infected and transmit it to humans too. Some rats should be captured and sterilized, so that they will never produce offspring and then the population may reduce. Importantly, our hygiene must also improve.
- Maintain clean environment. Make sure all foodstuffs and kitchen utensils are secured from rats and rodents. In the event of killing any either by poison, gum or trap care should be taken to avoid body contact before disposing by burying or burning…
- Rodent resistant storage and package techniques and “de-ratification” of homes and food stores is a lot more effective, how many rats will be killed to achieve control?
- Breeding cats to kill these particular rats is totally not the solution; I think medical experts should just put heads together to find way to produce a drug that can cure Lassa fever. If we keep cats at home to kill the rats, are we going to send them to the bush as well?
- I think general and personal hygiene should be taken seriously and to increase the awareness exercise constantly to the general public. That will help in raising the consciousness of everyone to their environment.
- Killing of rats is not the issue. Rats have been of old. What we are consuming today In Nigeria including water is full of chemicals. Let state government control our farmers of chemicals.
- Environmental hygiene 2. Stopping bush burning during farming season 3.Covering foodstuff at home 4. Public enlightenment campaign about Lassa fever. 5. None exposure of cooking utensils, plates and materials used for cooking or eating. 6. Prompt treatment of any febrile illness not responding to Malaria treatment after 48 hours. 7. Hospital staff attending to febrile patients to wear protective clothes, shoes, facemask, goggle and others. 8. Hospitals to create seclusion unit for patients testing positive for Lassa virus antibodies.
- Personal Hygiene is paramount. It includes fumigation but it goes beyond that, start with cleanliness in the kitchen and managing/handling food waste properly.
- Educate people on the symptoms, let them know how they’ll know if they have the disease, isolate them, and try to manage them. Killing rats is important and educate people on the need to keep their environment unattractive to rats. Using cats may bring another form of disease. Other methods can be used e.g. pesticides.
- Government should be more sensitive to provide solution for it, we had Ebola the deadliest virus in this country yet we came out within a twinkle of an eye.
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