{"id":1445,"date":"2026-07-14T17:33:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1445"},"modified":"2026-07-14T17:33:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:33:47","slug":"lassa-fever-remains-deadly-health-concern-in-nigeria-delsu-doctor-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1445","title":{"rendered":"Lassa Fever Remains Deadly Health Concern In Nigeria, DELSU Doctor Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Eunice Ozoemelem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A medical doctor at Delta State University (DELSU) Health Services has warned that Lassa fever remains one of Nigeria&#8217;s most serious public health threats, urging Nigerians to maintain proper hygiene and seek prompt medical attention whenever symptoms appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking on the disease, <strong>Dr. Ovie<\/strong> of DELSU Health Services, Abraka, said Lassa fever continues to pose significant health risks across the country due to its mode of transmission and the dangers associated with delayed treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to him, the viral disease is primarily transmitted through contact with food, household items, or surfaces contaminated by the urine or droppings of infected multimammate rats, the species responsible for spreading the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Ovie explained that common symptoms include <strong>high fever, sore throat, extreme tiredness, body weakness, and general fatigue<\/strong>. He noted that although the illness may initially present with mild symptoms, it can quickly become severe if left untreated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He advised members of the public to maintain good personal and environmental hygiene, store food properly, and keep their surroundings clean to prevent rodent infestation and reduce the risk of infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A campus resident, <strong>Orugbu Godwin<\/strong>, also described Lassa fever as a dangerous disease that is often misunderstood by members of the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He noted that although the disease was once commonly associated with northern Nigeria, it has spread to many parts of the country, including southern states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Godwin cautioned against assuming that every case of fever is Lassa fever, stressing that a proper medical diagnosis is necessary before treatment begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;People should not panic or engage in self-medication simply because they develop a fever. Anyone experiencing symptoms should visit a hospital or health centre for proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Dr. Ovie and Godwin emphasized the importance of early detection, timely medical intervention, and increased public awareness in reducing the spread and impact of Lassa fever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They urged Nigerians to avoid self-medication and seek immediate attention from qualified healthcare professionals whenever symptoms suggestive of the disease are observed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Eunice Ozoemelem A medical doctor at Delta State University (DELSU) Health Services has warned that Lassa fever remains one of Nigeria&#8217;s most serious public health threats, urging Nigerians to maintain proper hygiene and seek prompt medical attention whenever symptoms appear. Speaking on the disease, Dr. Ovie of DELSU Health Services, Abraka, said Lassa fever [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":46,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[25,26,33,383],"class_list":["post-1445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trendingnews","tag-delsu","tag-education","tag-health","tag-lassa-fever"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1445"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1447,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445\/revisions\/1447"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}