Lassa fever: ‘Why diseases spread fast in Nigeria’

The Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owner and Practitioners (AWDROP) has written the Federal Government through Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, revealing how to tackle the outbreak of Lassa fever in the country.

AWDROP, in a letter submitted to the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Mua’zu Abdul-Kadir, by its National President, Micheal Ale, noted that non-availability of portable water in many rural areas had contributed the spread of Lassa fever.

“Without access to clean and sustained water, the issue of food security is threatened and this may also lead to different other vices, like reduction in work force efficiency and malnutrition; unhealthy hygiene leading to several diseases like diarrhea, Lassa fever and other health issues, thus affecting people mostly in the disadvantaged rural community, also, by extension the farmers that are known to produce much needed food for National food security and sustained GDP growth,” the letter partly read.

The association said he wondered why the Nigerian government had not been looking the private sectors’ way for assistance in meeting some areas development as it is in other countries.

AWDROP urged the government to critically examine its letter and work on the highlighted solutions on how to tackle myriads of problems facing the country.