Lassa Fever, which was first discovered in lassa town in Borno State in 1969, has killed scores of Nigerians in the last six months of its outbreak. It was gathered that despite the rise in the number of people that have died of this deadly disease, Nigerians still couldn’t do without eating.
The Ojuwoye market in Mushin, Lagos attracts a large number of shoppers daily. It was observed that some buyers look more observant when buying foodstuff which are prone to be infected by rats. Madam Rotimi, a shopper, said that she often asks the sellers if their items have been eaten by rats or if they have noticed rat fea ces in whatever they sell. She said that some of the traders lie to her but she takes precautions when buying from them. A yam seller, Omobolanle Babajide, disclosed that rats ate her tubers of yam and she had to cut out the part before cooking.
The scare of Lassa Fever has made many shoppers wary of what they buy. And while many of them have resorted to physical means of checking whatever they buy, some shoppers like Babawande Ibidun rely on God, saying that she prays to God whenever she comes to the market to buy food stuff. Ibidun however, urged all Nigerians to be observant and cook whatever they purchase for consumption very well because heat helps in killing germs. According to her, if it can’t be cooked, it is advisable to be thrown away for safety reasons.
As The Nation Shopping moved to other parts of the market, Mrs Okeke, who sells food stuffs, said that she eats any of her product rat destroys. She makes sure she cooks it very well before consumption. Mrs Okeke explained that she makes use of rat killers in her shop and also seals opened cartons with cello tape after each day’s sales.
Another trader at the market, Kadiri Yusuf, explained how he prevents rats from his food stuffs.
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