Poor housing quality increases risk of rodent infestation and Lassa fever in refugee camps of Sierra Leone.
Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic in parts of West Africa, is a severe febrile illness transmitted to humans by the rodent Mastomys natalensis. To determine risk of Lassa fever in households in Sierra Leonean refugee camps, we analyzed the spatial relationships between households with a Lassa case and focal locations of potential rodent habitats. Quality and hygiene factors of households were assessed to determine possible risk factors for household rodent infestation and occurrence of Lassa fever. The odds to have a rat burrow were higher in case houses than in control houses (OR 24, 95% CI 6.0-93). Case houses scored significantly worse in the quality of housing and external hygiene. These findings suggest that risk of Lassa fever in refugee camps depends on individual housing quality and the hygiene of the immediate surrounding environment.
Bonner
Phillip Cullison
PC
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Schmidt
Wolf-Peter
WP
Belmain
Steven R
SR
Oshin
Babafemi
B
Baglole
Debbie
D
Borchert
Matthias
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007835:Lassa Fever / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D012036:Refugees; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012377:Rodentia; D012621:Seasons; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012807:Sierra Leone / Q000453:epidemiology