By Amos Aar
THE WORLD Health Organization (WHO) has called on traditional rulers in Benue State to set up sanitation taskforce committees in their communities to enforce environmental cleanliness, especially during the monthly sanitation exercise held on the last Saturday of every month.
The appeal was made at the weekend by a Community Health Extension Worker, Mr. Nathaniel Imande, during a WHO sensitisation campaign on Lassa fever prevention and treatment in Kaduna Street, Rice Mill, and Iniongun communities of Ankpa/Wadata Ward in Makurdi Local Government Area.
Imande urged residents to become health ambassadors in their communities by sustaining advocacy efforts beyond the meeting. He warned that rats transmitting Lassa fever are now crossbreeding between house and bush species, making any rat a potential carrier. While advising against the careless preparation of rats as food, he stressed the need for thorough cooking and proper hygiene if they must be eaten.
He further encouraged traditional rulers to intensify community education, reminding residents that treatment for Lassa fever is free in health facilities. He also advised early testing and treatment for malaria rather than relying on herbal remedies.
Mrs. Hembafan Kurah of the Wadata Immunization Unit explained the meaning of Lassa fever in Tiv to aid understanding and emphasized covering food and maintaining clean surroundings. Another health worker, Mrs. Onah Ojowu Jemimah, urged residents not to ignore any fever and noted that prevention involves not just avoiding rat consumption but also keeping the environment free from rodent infestation.
During an interactive session, Imande explained that grass cutters do not transmit Lassa fever and are safe to eat, while bush rats should only be consumed if thoroughly cooked. He advised against eating monkeys altogether.
Local leaders, including Chief Tachia Pine and the Village Head of Rice Mill, Zaki Terfa Kwaghhange, pledged to sustain advocacy efforts and thanked WHO for the initiative.
The sensitization also reached St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Iniongun during Sunday Mass, where Jemimah advised children to keep their environment clean, avoid uncovered waste bins, and protect their food from rats. Other health workers, including Ngohide Anura and Imande, also taught the children personal hygiene practices. A teacher, Mr. Peter Ushie, commended WHO for the enlightenment campaign.
WHO’s Lassa fever sensitization activities in Benue are ongoing. Working with the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services, WHO has also deployed Technical Working Groups and the Public Health Emergency Operations officials to other wards in Makurdi LGA— Fiidi, Agan, North Bank 1, and Yagba—identified as high-risk areas.
