Resources

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC): Contact tracing, national guidelines for Lassa fever case management

The national guidelines for contact tracing and case management of Lassa fever as outlined by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

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Social consequences of Ebola containment measures in Liberia

This study of quarantine during the Ebola epidemic in Liberia also shows that state-enforced quarantine, with a mandatory prohibition of movement, raised condemnation, strengthened stigmatization and created serious socio-economic distress.

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The politics of fear: Médecins Sans Frontières and the West African Ebola epidemic

This book provides a primary documentary resource for recounting and learning from the Ebola epidemic. Comprising eleven topic-based chapters and four eyewitness vignettes from both MSF- and non-MSF-affiliated contributors, it aims to provide a politically agnostic account of the defining health event of the 21st century so far to inform current opinions and future responses.

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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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Participation of women and children in hunting activities in Sierra Leone and implications for control of zoonotic infections

This paper underscores the challenges of interventions, surveillance, research and sensitization campaigns. To address such complexity, intervention strategies should become more diversified and context-specific. In particular the role of children should be recognised; specific intervention strategies should be tailored to children's specific hunting practices.

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Rat-Atouille: A mixed method study to characterize rodent hunting and consumption in the context of Lassa fever

This paper investigated the consumption of rodents, including the reservoir species of Lassa fever, and found this is widespread and does not neatly tally against generational or gender lines. Further, it found that the reasons for rodent consumption are multifactorial, including taste preferences, food security, and opportunistic behaviour.

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Hunting of peridomestic rodents and consumption of their meat as possible risk factors for rodent-to-human transmission of Lassa virus in the Republic of Guinea

This study comparing two regions in Guinea, Pita and Gueckedou, observed three major risks for Lassa virus transmission: rodent infestation, uncovered food and hunting of peridomestic rodents as protein source. Hunting and preparation of rodents was identify as a specific risk, however more research is needed to ascertain the age and sex-specific risk factors, sociocultural and economical leading to rodent consumption.

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