Fear of Lassa fever increases cost of rat traps in Ilorin

The fear of deadly Lassa fever, which has claimed over 40 lives since its outbreak last week, has suddenly jacked up the cost of rat traps by over 50 per cent in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

According to Anthony Obi, who hawks the rat killer products, 2016 has started on a very good note, said, ''We thank God for good market on the rat killer gum. We are even short of it now. Gone are the days when they would price it for as low as N100. Today, we don’t sell it for less than N500. In fact, the product is very scarce to come by now. Some buyers from the GRA are demanding for more of rat gum everyday. We heard there is one disease caused by rats that is killing people now. Rich people are afraid of death. But my brother I am happy because the business is good for us.''

Meanwhile, the Kwara State government has put in place measures to prevent and bring under control the outbreak of the deadly disease, which has been reported in parts of Oyo and Niger states, that share boundary with it.