Hantavirus: Wetin You Need Know and How to Protect Yoursef

The news wey World Health Organization (WHO) don release about Hantavirus don start to make pipo fear small. Dis sickness start for inside one small cruise ship wey dey travel from Argentina go Cape Verde, and e don already kill three pipo while many odas dey hospital dey fight for dia life.

Even though say dis one happen for far away ship, e get as e concern us for Nigeria. Why? Because na rat dey carry di virus, and we already sabi how Lassa Fever and oda rat-sickness dey disturb for here.

Wetin be Hantavirus?

Hantavirus na serious sickness wey dey affect person breathing, and na family of virus wey dey stay inside rodents (rats and mice) body. E fit cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), wey go make water fill your lungs, or e fit affect your kidney.

How e dey spread?

The virus no dey fly for air like dat; e dey inside di urine, shit (droppings), and saliva of infected rats. Person fit get am if:

1. You breathe am in: If you dey sweep place wey rat shit or nest dey, di dust fit carry di virus enter your nose as you dey breathe.
2. Body contact: If you touch where rat don match or mess, and you use di same hand touch your eye, nose, or mouth.
3. Rat bite: Although dis one no common, if rat wey get di virus bite you, you fit catch am.

Symptoms: Wetin go show say person get am?

For start, Hantavirus fit be like malaria or normal cold and we know say malaria common for Nigeria. But e dey sharp-sharp change to something serious.

First Stage : Serious fever, body pain (especially for your thigh, back, and shoulder), headache, and weakness. Some pipo fit dey vomit or get running stomach.

Second Stage : Breath go start to seize, serious cough, and you go feel like say something tie your chest because water don dey enter your lungs. Dis one na emergency!

How to Prevent am for Nigeria

For our side where many houses and warehouse get fine-fine rats, di best way na to prevent am.

1. Block every hole for house
2. No give dem road: Rat fit pass through any small hole. Use cement, or metal wire block any hole for your wall, ceiling, or under your door.
3. Keep your food safe: Make sure say your food dey inside rubber or metal container wey get tight cover. No leave dirty plate for sink till day break.
4. Correct way to clean house
5. If you wan clean store, warehouse, or room wey you never open for long time: No use broom sweep am dry: NEVER sweep or vacuum rat shit if e dry. E go make di virus fly for air and you go breathe am in. Use disinfectant: Spray di place with water wey you mix with bleach. Leave am for 5 minutes before you use damp cloth pack am. Use nose mask and hand gloves join.
6. Clear your backyard
7. Make sure say "bush" no dey near your house. Pack all those old wood and dirty iron where rats like to hide.

Make sure your dustbin get tight cover and make you dey empty am always.

Treatment: How dem dey treat am?

As e be so, no vaccine or special medicine dey for Hantavirus yet. Doctors only fit "support" di body to fight di virus by:

Giving di person oxygen or using machine (ventilator) help am breathe.

Watching di person blood pressure for Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Warning: If you suddenly get high fever and you find am hard to breathe especially if you just travel or you clean place where rats plenty, run go hospital immediately. No try treat am like malaria for house, because Hantavirus need serious doctor care.

Di Bottom Line

Even though di risk for Africa still low for now, dis Hantavirus warning na reminder say "cleanliness na next to godliness." If we keep our house clean and no allow rat stay with us, we dey protect ourselves from Hantavirus, Lassa Fever, and many oda sickness.