Dr. Boniface Okolo, the Director of Public Health, Enugu State Ministry of Health, says uncontrolled bush burning may bring about the spread of Lassa fever disease from fleeing rodents into homes.
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Okolo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Enugu that fleeing rodents from burning bushes were likely to run into homes for safety.
He said that rodents carrying Lassa fever would defecate on raw and cooked foodstuffs not properly covered in the homes they had fled into for safety.
He said that this could become a threat to the safety and health of people living in such homes.
“Bush burning will definitely cause rodents and rats in those bushes to find their ways into residential areas for safety.
“Whenever we burn bushes around us, rats eventually run into our houses. They contaminate our foodstuffs with their secretions, urine, and excretions and this leads to household members contracting Lassa fever.”
The director advised the citizens to maintain proper hygiene in their environments, and always cover all their foodstuffs to prevent rodents from contaminating them.
He also advised the public to fumigate their homes and keep their environments clean.