Lassa fever: Group to buy rats from Lagosians

In a bid to avert incidents of Lassa fever and other vector-borne diseases in Lagos State, a non-governmental organisation, Phosguard Fumigant Limited, in partnership with the state government, has introduced a bounty, ‘Kill rats, make money.’

Under the project, rodents in the state will be bought by the NGO after they had been killed using hi-tech chemicals and equipment that would make their decomposing bodies non-infectious, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Oluwasegun Benson, on Sunday, said the bounty would help to get rid of rats in the state.

“We will buy at least 20 rats for a yet-to-be determined amount. In Lagos now, it is operation kill rats and make money.

“A rat has 28 days gestation period and in the past years, there has not been any solid structure on ground to curb them from infecting humans with diseases.

“We are already approaching an epidemic with Lassa fever and we must be proactive and find a more coordinated approach to control them. It is war against rodents and pests in Lagos State,’’ he said.

Benson said the company was collaborating with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority to either incinerate or bury the rats.

“Everything is going to be water-tight as we are not just going to kill the rats, we are going to collect them using our trained and well-kitted personnel,’’ he added.

He said the project would commence in October, adding that it had the capacity to create about 200 or 300 jobs, particularly for youths.

Punch