Poor housing quality increases risk of rodent infestation and lassa fever in refugee camps of Sierra Leone
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Bonner, Phillip Cullison, Schmidt, Wolf-Peter, Belmain, Steven 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5590-7545, Oshin, Babafemi, Baglole, Debbie and Borchert, Matthias
(2007)
Poor housing quality increases risk of rodent infestation and lassa fever in refugee camps of Sierra Leone.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 77 (1).
pp. 169-175.
ISSN 0002-9637
This is the latest version of this item.
Abstract
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.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | [1] The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is the official scientific journal of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | mastomys-natalensis, eastern province, virus, epidemiology, liberia |
| Subjects: | R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine |
| Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: | Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Agriculture, Health & Environment Department Faculty of Engineering & Science |
| Related URLs: | |
| Last Modified: | 15 Jul 2015 15:05 |
| URI: | http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/5224 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Poor housing quality increases risk of rodent infestation and lassa fever in refugee camps of Sierra Leone. (deposited 15 Apr 2010 10:57)
- Poor housing quality increases risk of rodent infestation and lassa fever in refugee camps of Sierra Leone. (deposited 26 Oct 2011 15:42) [Currently Displayed]
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