Mother and daughter ate rats' feces, ignored warning.

LASSA FEVER: What's your attitude?
“Mum! See this, rat’s faeces is in here, I shouldn’t eat this.” Michelle ran to her mum in the living room, a cup of garri in her hand. “You’d better pick it out and drink or you’d have to wait on empty stomach for your dad.” “News of rat’s waste causing Lassa fever is everywhere like wildfire and you still want me to take this?” “Didn’t they say it is caused by one Mastomys-something specie? That’s not in my house. The rats here are much nicer than to cause whatever fever, and remember, Jesus lives here too. Just take out the droplets and eat. I’ve eaten so much of it and I’m still alive.” “Mum!” “Spare me the story, little girl, and eat.”
It’s a pity that both Michelle, her mum, and her innocent father became infected with Lassa fever, the rats weren’t so nice after all. Most people often fall victims for disobedience and complacency.
LASSA FEVER according to WHO is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses.
The primary animal host of the Lassa virus is the Natal multimammate mouse ( Mastomys natalensis ), an animal found in most of sub-Saharan Africa.
It is transmitted to humans from contacts with food or household items contaminated with rodent excreta.
6-21days after exposure to this virus, an illness involving many organs develop. The possible signs and symptoms include; facial swelling, muscle fatigue, conjunctivitis, mucosal bleeding, nausea, bloody vomiting, stomach ache, constipation, diarrhea (bloody), cough, chest pain, and dyspnoea, to mention but a few.
It is vital to report any sign of illness to the hospital for prompt and accurate diagnosis, and self medication and treatment should be avoided at all cost.
Lassa fever is as real as the air we breathe and majority of us have rats in our home, even if we can't tell the species apart. Also, there is no vaccination against lassa fever as of today. Therefore it becomes imperative for us to take extra precautions.
It may be hard or impossible to totally rid our homes of rats but we can
Keep our food in rodent proof containers
Avoid eating any food contaminated with rat excreta
Ensure physical and environmental hygiene
Report any sign of infection promptly
Ensure safety precautions & barriers e.g gloves, mask e.t.c. are used when dealing with an infected person
As we pray and believe in God's protection, we should also take responsibility to take precautions. Prevention is not just better, it is cheaper and reliable than cure..