Ghanaians request more education on Lassa fever

Some Ghanaians on Friday called on the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other public health stakeholders to act swiftly and educate or sensitize the public on the Lassa fever.

A cross-section of the public in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra pleaded with the GHS to organize educative programmes to enlighten the public on the causes, effects and symptoms of the deadly disease.

Some school of thoughts believed that Lassa fever was just “another Ebola with a different name”.

Miss Annabel Opoku-Agyei, a student, told the GNA that, since this was killing many people in Nigeria, it was necessary that the health service act immediately to warn the public about safety measures.

Mrs Albertina Ofori, a social worker, however expressed fear when it comes to the Lassa virus in our markets.

She said, “my biggest fear when it comes to the Lassa fever is our markets. Rats and mice are all over the market squares”.

Mrs Ofori said, the Ghanaian markets were disease havens and further suggested, that “the Health Ministry and the Local Government Ministry should be proactive rather than reactive”.

Mr Obed Ansah, a banker said Ghana’s approach to public health care delivery was not holistic adding that until the country embarks on a holistic approach in the Health sector; it would experience diseases that are more zoonotic, that is disease that can be transmitted from animals to people or, disease that normally exists in animals but that can infect humans.

He said, the government and health sectors should therefore, enlighten the public on all form of diseases, which normally exists in animals but could be infectious to humans.

Only five out of the total number of 15 people interviewed, had knowledge about the deadly disease.

Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arena-virus family of viruses.

It is transmitted to humans from contacts with food or household items contaminated with rodent excreta. The disease is endemic in rodent population.