Médecins Sans Frontières - ENGLISH

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF362472

Date taken / Date Recorded 22/01/2026 10:13 AM

Country Nigeria

Commissioning section MSF-SWITZERLAND

Photographer / videographer / producer Abba Adamu Musa

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Fundraising, Social Media, MSF Publications, Wires

Formal Consent Copy available yes

Editor's rating ★★★★★ (C)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 3m3s

Maximum Size 1080px × 1920px 432.76 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist SRT file: MSF362563

Musa Abubakar Yarwa
Survivor of Lassa fever

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People thought it was witchcraft.

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At the beginning, people
run away from us.

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They don’t even want
you to come close.

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I could not tell what happened
when I was taken to the hospital.

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I was in the Lassa
treatment centre.

Lassa fever is a severe viral haemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus.

MSF has been responding to seasonal peaks of Lassa fever in Bauchi State, one of the poorest states in Nigeria, since 2022.

Severe cases can lead to bleeding, organ failure, and death.

Dr. Ibrahim Mahmood Maigari
Coordinator of the Lassa Fever Treatment Center

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It is actually
transmitted by rats

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that live around
the domestic area,

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and then there is transmission
between humans and humans,

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which is the secondary mode
of transmission.

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It resembles many diseases that
we see in the tropical regions.

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Here the most common
disease is malaria.

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It can present with fever,

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which is the commonest
symptom of Lassa fever.

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So it's actually difficult
for you to know

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whether the patient is having
malaria or Lassa fever.

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So we work closely with the hospitals,
within the communities.

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Whenever they have any patient
that they are suspecting of Lassa fever,

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through our transit areas,
within those communities,

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they will communicate
with us

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and then they transfer this patient
to the treatment center.

Our team of health promoters are key to sharing knowledge about Lassa fever and how to prevent the spread of the disease.

Abdullahi Muhammad Musa
Health promotion and community engagement supervisor

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We meet with key people
in the community:

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community leaders, associative
groups, women's groups,

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youth groups, and
we also do sensitisation

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in the community to
disseminate key messages

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on Lassa fever.

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Through awareness,
the community understands

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the signs and symptoms

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and the community also makes an effort
to seek proper healthcare.

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Also, during the health education
sessions in house to house,

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it helps to identify some cases

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and to report them
to the transit center.

Lassa fever is seasonal in Nigeria, typically occurring from October to April.

Working in close collaboration with the Nigerian Ministry of Health, the team treats patients in the Lassa Fever Treatment Centre, where they receive free care.

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Like the majority of
infectious diseases,

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the earlier you start
treatment the better,

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because this organism tends to
start multiplying within the body,

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and their multiplication
will cause injury to the body.

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Then we start treatment
as soon as possible.

Between 1 October 2025 and 23 March 2026, a total of 311 people were tested positive at the treatment centre, of whom 68 died.

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When I was discharged, I had spent
29 days at the hospital.

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I returned home.

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Mine was very severe.

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At the beginning,
people run away from us.

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They don’t even want
you to come close.

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MSF were the ones who helped

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and people started coming
close to us again.

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Because of the
sensitisation they do,

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that’s how people understood
that it was a disease,

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initially people thought
it was a curse.

ENGLISH - Lassa Fever, Nigeria

ENGLISH - Lassa Fever, Nigeria