Consumption of soaked garri might increase the risk of lassa fever in Nigeria- Dr. Okolo

Enugu State Director of Public Health Dr Boniface Okolo, has warned Nigerians against the consumption of cassava flakes, also known as garri to avoid contacting Lassa fever.

Dr. Okolo, disclosed this in an interview with Journalist on Saturday in Enugu, he stated that the rats that caused the disease were mostly in contact with Nigerian most popular staple food ‘garri,’ a cassava product.He also added that it was necessary to discourage consumption of soaked garri since it did not require boiled water.

Dr. Okolo noted that boiled water could go a long way to kill bacteria caused by pest or rodents in garri.

“It is better that the cassava flakes called garri is used for ‘eba’, because of the use of hot water.

“We in the state health ministry are waging total war against rodents through sensitisation, that is what we are doing to ensure we do not have victim of Lassa fever in the state.

“We are also sensitising the public to ensure that their fruits and raw vegetables are properly washed if they must be consumed them raw and cook to the appropriate temperature.

“The best practices for food storage should be encouraged to prevent epidemic.

”We should always make sure that we use air-tight clean plastic containers to preserve our foodstuff to avoid lassa fever and other diseases,” he added.