Social Determinants of Lassa Fever in Ondo State

Abstract

Lassa fever is a significant social health issue in West Africa, but its social and demographic determinants are not well comprehended. The paper has examined the effect of age, sex, education, occupation, and residence on the risk of Lassa fever among patients in Ondo State, Nigeria. An analytical study based on cross-sectional analysis was done on confirmed Lassa fever patients. Socio-demographic information was gathered and logistic regression analyses were conducted that determined independent predictors of infection with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Age was an influential predictor: every year of age reduced the chance of being infected by approximately 21%(OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.66-0.94). Nearly 50% of the cases occurred in adults between 20 and 34 years. Males were 53% of the sample and were more than eight times as likely as females (OR = 8.12; 95% CI: 2.8023.56). The effect of educational status was more complex: people who had only primary school education were at significantly increased risk (OR = 29.17; 95% CI: 4.55186.83), whereas those with no or secondary education did not differ significantly with those who have tertiary education. Applicants, apprentices, or retirees were strongly protected against civil servants (OR = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.02–0.58). The place of residence was not determined independently but the majority of cases were concentrated in rural settings in Ondo State which was a representation of the timing of the outbreak and the level of surveillance. The risk of Lassa fever is also defined by the social and occupational determinants, and the most recent burden is concentrated among lowly educated young men working in informal or agricultural areas. The priority of the interventions should be rodent-proof housing, safe food storage, health education, and enhanced surveillance.