Lassa fever: Enugu government tasks residents on personal hygiene

Enugu State Government has advised residents to be more alive to their personal and environmental hygiene, to checkmate any outbreak of Lassa fever and rodents borne diseases, especially this raining season.

The state’s Director of Public Health Services, Dr Okechukwu Ossai, gave the advice in Enugu on Tuesday.

Ossai was speaking on the sideline of the re-emergence of Lassa fever in some states in the country.

He assured the people that the health ministry had taken precautionary steps necessary to prevent Lassa fever in the state.

The director, however, noted that the residents would do well in assisting the government in its preventive approach to healthcare by increased consciousness on personal and environmental hygiene.

The commissioner also appealed to residents to immediately report any case of ill-health to the nearest health care centre.

“Precaution is the major focus here. ‘’Preventive-approach to healthcare is most effective, cheap and easy.

“Residents should be cautious and up their games in terms of personal and environmental hygiene.

“They should report any sickness whether known, as usual, or strange to trained health personnel with the recent developments.

“It is not advisable to engage in self or family medications this time around,’’ he said.