Olukemi Adekanmbi, a consultant infectious disease physician at University College Hospital, Ibadan, says Lassa fever is curable when diagnosed and treated early according to the guidelines.

Ms Adekanmbi made the assertion in Ibadan on Friday.

The physician urged Nigerians not to wait for advanced symptoms, such as bleeding (blood in the urine, stool, etc.), before seeking medical care.

She remarked that anyone with a fever should visit a healthcare facility immediately, and that a qualified healthcare provider should assess the patient and order investigations to identify the cause.

“When one has a febrile illness or a fever, one should seek medical attention as soon as possible so that they can have a comprehensive assessment and treatment can begin.

“If malaria or a bacterial infection is suspected and these conditions are being treated and yet the patient is not responding as expected, one can begin to think about more unusual conditions like Lassa fever,” she said.

She explained that Lassa fever and malaria are quite similar, with many overlapping symptoms. The key difference, according to her, lies in the response to treatment.

“If someone has malaria and is treated appropriately with the right medication, they are expected to get better. But if the individual actually has Lassa fever instead of malaria, they are not likely to respond to treatment, as the diagnosis is wrong.

“Some blood tests might show subtle differences between malaria and Lassa fever; these differences are not very specific for Lassa but could help support the diagnosis when suspected. One of the unusual findings in Lassa is bleeding, for instance, blood in the urine, stool, etc., but this is not a very common feature, and it occurs at advanced stages in the course of the disease.

“So, if one were waiting to see this unusual bleeding, one would miss the early signs of the infection, which is really when it is most beneficial to make a diagnosis,” she said.

Ms Adekanmbi, however, warned that if not caught early and properly managed, Lassa could be fatal. She added that there were some other groups of individuals that might have a worse course of disease than others, such as pregnant women and very young children.

“Nevertheless, if Lassa is diagnosed early and properly treated according to guidelines, the outcome can be very good, so it’s a curable disease,” she said.

She also cautioned against self-medication, saying it could lead to a delay in diagnosis, while advising people to always present early in the course of an illness at the hospital.

The physician also enjoined people to always cooperate with the healthcare team.

On prevention, Ms Adekanmbi urged households to always block rodents from food and store food in air-tight, rodent-proof containers that a rat cannot get through to.

The consultant infectious disease physician further explained that sacks and nylon bags are unsafe because rats can eat into them and contaminate food.

(NAN)