Lassa Fever: Avoid Drinking Garri - Medical Experts Warn

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Nigerians have been warned to stay away
from the consumption of soaked garri, at
least for now so as to prevent Lassa fever.
READ ALSO: WARNING: Lassa Fever Comes
To Lagos, First Case Confirmed
The warning is coming from the Medical and
Health Workers Union, Lagos State Council,
who on Saturday, January 17, said that it
would embark on public enlightenment to
discourage consumption of soaked garri for
now to prevent Lassa fever.
Speaking in an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos , Razak
Adeofalade, the chairman of the union stated
that house rats that caused Lassa fever are
mostly in contact with Nigerian most popular
food, Garri, a cassava product.
Medical Experts Warn Nigerians to avoid
drinking garri to prevent Lassa fever
Adeofalade said: “We are going to encourage
members of the public to depart from the
process of drinking garri at this moment, it is
better that the cassava flour is utilised for
`eba,’ because of the use of hot water.
“We are waging total war and that is: `War
against Rats,’ and that is what we are going
to do to ensure we do not have another
victim of Lassa Fever in the state.
“We will also be telling them to ensure that
their fruits and raw vegetables are properly
washed if they must be consumed raw and
cook to the appropriate temperature.
“The whole essence is to enlighten our people
because education carries a lot of weight in
this whole activity.
“We call for adaptation of best practices for
food storage to prevent epidemic.”
According to him, the union is determined to
wage war against rat in the state and public
enlightenment on fighting epidemic.
He said his members cut across all
government’s hospitals and local
governments and would be mobilised to start
enlightenment on the evil of rodents.
“We will go into premises, market place and
teach them on the best practice of storing of
food items from contacts with rodents,’’ he
said.
READ ALSO : Lassa Fever: Senator Urges
Health Ministry To Breed Cats
Over 45 death have been recorded in 10
states since the emergence of Lassa fever.