Poultry farmers have been urged to take preventive measures in ensuring  the movement of rat into their farms as the ongoing spread of Lassa fever heightens.


This call was made by the Registrar, Veterinary Council of Nigeria, VCN,  Dr. Markus Avong while speaking to newsmen.

Avong said: “The primary host of the Lassa virus is the multi-mammate rat, and has no clinical manifestation but transfers the virus to humans who are the next and final hosts.

“The owners of poultry farms should be extremely careful with their farms by putting measures that will prevent the rats from gaining entrance and access to their poultry feeds.

“This is because the rats are now moving to where humans are and also to animal farms where feeds are kept for the livestock because there is bush burning going on this season in most places across the country, which they are losing their food as the bushes serves as source of their food, and as a result tends to move towards places where they could access food and that could be in the poultry farms.

“Farm owners should be conscious and put in place rat-proofs around the farm.” Lassa fever is an infectious rate-borne West African viral disease named after the town Lassa in Nigeria . It is recognized in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, as well as Nigeria. Symptoms of this fever include:  fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, back pain among others.