By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Ministry of Health and the China Center for Disease Control (CDC) have held an engagement session with Paramount Chiefs in Kenema District on a planned survey on Lassa Fever carrying rodents.
Lassa Fever is a hemorrhagic fever disease that is transmitted by a host of vectors that include rats. Communities where rat is consumed are prone to the disease. In Sierra Leone, the eastern region has long been identified as part of the Lassa Fever Belt that also include about half a dozen other West African countries.
The Chinese government funded initiative is designed to determine the exact species of rats that transmit the disease in the country. It entails a survey that will involve setting up of traps to catch the rat and subjecting them to testing.
Officials say three districts – Kenema, Kailahun and Tonkoli – will participate in the survey.
The traditional leaders who participated in the engagement were drawn from these districts, which are all Lassa Fever prone communities.
Dr. Donald Grant, District Medical Officer in Kenema, told the meeting with the Paramount Chiefs that Lassa Fever had claimed many lives, including those of health professionals. He said this project is being funded by the China CDC as part of its continued support to Sierra Leone through the Health Ministry.
According to Grant, this upcoming survey followed a pilot phase in the three participating districts.
“Though three districts have been selected, not all the chiefdoms will be targeted, only chiefdoms that have recorded Lassa fever cases will be,” he said.
Dr Grant added: “CDC, with MoHS officials, will be in these chiefdoms and certain communities where we will set up traps at houses to capture rats and the blood sample of the rats and other internal organs will be removed [and] taken to the laboratory for test, to know which type of rats have the Lassa Fever virus.”
Grant went on to say that chiefs were targeted so that they could sensitize their people on the need to cooperate with the project implementers. He said they would also be needed to help educate their people on the dangers of eating bush meats.
Zhaojun Duan, a representative from CDC China, said the support is an illustration of the Chinese government’s commitment to the bilateral relationship between China and Sierra Leone.
“A survey has proven that 70% of the diseases that human beings contact come through animals, in such ways as eating dead animals and infected animals…,” he said, stressing on the importance of the upcoming survey.
Paramount Chief of Jawaei Chiefdom in Kailahun District, Musa Ngombukla Kallon, hailed the initiative.
“My Chiefdom had been hit by Lassa Fever and the intervention of CDC is timely. As a chiefdom, we will give the fullest support to the health team to carry out this survey,” he said.
Augustine Sandi, a representative of the Paramount Chief of Lower Bambara chiefdom, Kenema District, also welcomed the idea and pledged the support of his chiefdom to the initiative.
”We can’t talk about Lassa in this country without mentioning Lower Bambara, because before and after the [civil] war, our chiefdom has been hit by Lassa Fever,” he said.
“For us as a chiefdom, we want a team to go into our communities and educate the people about this survey and we will ensure, as traditional leaders, that the message is heard by the people,” he added.
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