Mr Chinenye Nwekpe, a microbiologist based in Enugu, has urged Nigerians to avoid self-medication in the treatment of Lassa fever.
Nwekpe, who works with the Microbiology Department, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Monday.
He said that self-medication was `simply a product of guess work’ which could not deliver effective treatment and cure.
According to him, self-medication is dangerous to health and has the ability to delay treatment of diseases in human beings.
He advised Nigerians to visit hospitals for laboratory diagnosis and treatment of whatever ailment they were suffering from.
“People should always go to hospitals or health centres for better diagnosis when they are sick or feel feverish before medications,” he said.
Nwekpe stated that in the case of the Lassa fever ravaging some parts of Nigeria, early laboratory testing was needed for early confirmation.
He said that such step was necessary because the symptoms of Lassa fever were not radically different from that of other infections.
Besides, the expert urged Nigerians to avoid storing their foods on the ground or along the road sides to prevent rodents from urinating or defecating on them. (NAN)