Resources

Lassa Fever: a rodent-human interaction

This resource examines the sites of interactions between humans and the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis. It presents findings such as new arenaviruses in other African rodents and in snakes, that  argue preferably toward the host-switching concept. The recent emergence in Sierra Leone, the absence of virus positive Mastomys between the two endemic zones and poor virus diversity in the Mano River area also point in the direction of a unique import of Lassa virus from Nigeria to Sierra Leone during the 19th century. This resource also discusses the hypothesis of human displacements through the Atlantic slave trade and its abolition in 1807.

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Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC): Standard operating procedures for Lassa fever case management

This resource describes the standard operating procedures for Lassa fever case management as outlined by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

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Sensorineural hearing loss in Lassa fever: Two case reports

This resource reports on two female patients aged 19 and 43 years old with clinical features suggestive of Lassa fever and confirmed by immunoserological/Lassa-virus-specific reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Both patients developed severe sensorineural hearing loss at acute phases of the infections.

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Housing factors and transmission of Lassa fever in a rural area of South-South Nigeria

The study compared the housing quality and hygiene in two peri-urban settlements in Irrua Town. The use of buildings for housing and commercial activities was found to be a risk for the transmission of Lassa fever in the houses.

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Perceptions of burden of caregiving by informal caregivers of cancer patients attending University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria

Though not about Lassa fever specifically, this study shows the burden experienced by informal caregivers of cancer patients in Nigeria. Most caregivers experienced this burden as moderate or severe.

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Patients’ and healthcare providers’ perceptions and practices regarding hypertension, pharmacy-based care, and mHealth in Lagos, Nigeria

Although not focused on Lassa Fever, a recent publication on hypertension in Nigeria, provides a comprehensive review of contemporary health seeking behaviour in the country, underlining the important role that small-scale local pharmaceutical providers provide as the front line of medical care.  This study also describes what respondents call a ‘Nigerian Factor’; a reluctance to seek health care until very sick.

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Impact of Lassa fever on the practice and consumption of stored food by University of Benin community, in Benin City, Nigeria

The aim of the study is to determine the impact of Lassa fever on the consumption of processed snacks and food storage practices in University of Benin campuses. They found that the that majority discard their snacks when contaminated while some remove the contaminated portions and consume remaining part which could be a major health risk.

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