Ter Makurdi, HRH Chief Vincent Aule, has called for legislation banning the importation and consumption of rats in Benue State as the state records over 1,030 suspected cases of Lassa fever, 66 confirmed cases, and 14 deaths recorded in the last six months.
The Royal Father, while speaking in Makurdi at a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization meeting on the control of Lassa fever in the state, organised by the State Ministry of Health, expressed shock at the figure recorded during the outbreak in the state and said decisive steps must be taken to check the spread of the disease in Benue.
The traditional ruler, who was represented by the Kindred Head of Wurukum, Chief Simon Tovsaid that for the campaign to check the rising cases of Lassa fever in the state to be successful, “we need a law by the State Assembly banning the importation and consumption of rats in Benue so that the violators of the law can be arrested and prosecuted.”
Dr. Jerry Agber, The One Health Coordinator, Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services, explained that the State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with other stakeholders, put the meeting together to engage and sensitise the people on the control of Lassa fever in the state, “with particular focus on strategies to stop the importation of rats from other states to Benue, which are the vector of Lassa fever.”
He said, “Over time, we have been dealing with outbreaks of Lassa fever in Benue State. For the past two years, it has been recurrent. And this year’s outbreak has been the worst of all. The cases of Lassa we had from January to this point are more than the total number we had in 2023.
“When we x-rayed the issue, we discovered that one of the routes that is fueling the spread of Lassa fever in the state is the importation of rats from other northern states into Benue State.”
“So it became very important to call a stakeholders meeting like this where we have market women, traditional rulers, the police, paramilitary organisations, and quarantine officials, among others, to interact, chart a way forward, and fill the missing link that saw us record those outbreaks.”
Mrs. Benita Kanshio, the Lassa Fever State Focal Person for Benue State, explained why the engagement became important, saying, “Between December and now, we recorded 1,030 suspected cases of Lassa Fever. We had 66 confirmed cases within the outbreak, and we recorded 14 deaths.
“The healthcare workers affected while managing the cases were 14 in number, including two doctors, nurses, and community health workers.”
Dr. Amarachi Onyeberechi, Station Officer, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services, Makurdi, stated in her presentation that people’s taste for rats was contributing to the state’s Lassa fever outbreak.
She urged for a concerted effort to outlaw the importation and eating of rats in the state to help control the spread of the spread of the illness.
Dr. Onyeberechi also advocated for the training of surveillance officers to monitor importation, the use of available technology to dictate those in the trade, and the engagement, sensitization, and collaboration of the people to end the consumption of rats in the state in order to slow the spread of the disease.
