Rivers State Chairman of the Veterinary Doctors Association, Dr. Nathaniel Bakura, has warned that constant bush burning during the farming season may force the Lassa fever-causing rodents out of their natural habitat into residential abodes thereby infecting humans with the disease.
According to Bakura, there has to be a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach involving medical doctors; veterinary doctors; animal scientists, ecologists, health officers, communities and others to tackle the outbreak.
In a related development, the Lagos State government yesterday denied that two more persons have died of the fever in the state. Dr. Jide Idris, State Commissioner for Health, said though two persons have been reported dead in Ijede, but it has not been confirmed to be as a result of Lassa fever.
Idris on Tuesday said that the number of Lassa fever related death so far in the remains one from three infected cases, though the number of persons under surveillance has increased to 448.
The commissioner, however, reiterated that there is no need to panic, saying that the same successful measures used in combating Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) were been used to tackle Lassa fever as well.