Lassa fever (LF) remains a major public health threat in Nigeria, with Edo State designated a hyperendemic hotspot. Despite high community awareness and ongoing public health interventions, households continue to report LF annually, suggesting that household-level practices may be associated with the observed disease patterns. This study investigated household practices associated with self-reported prior household LF occurrence in Ekpoma communities, Edo State. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among household heads or representatives selected through multistage sampling between June and August 2023. Data on socio-demographics, LF knowledge, and household practices were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Associations between household practices and self-reported household LF occurrence within 12 months preceding the study were assessed using the chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Among 303 respondents recruited for the study, more than half were male (58.1%) and middle-aged (mean age: 44.6 ± 17.8 years). Farmers (26.4%) and entrepreneurs (26.1%) were the largest occupational groups. Although 92.4% reported LF awareness and 76.6% had received community sensitisation, most households reported rodent presence (93.7%). Furthermore, 53.8% stored food in open containers and 19.1% stored food on the floor. Multivariate analysis showed that storing food on the floor (AOR = 2.40; 95% CI: 1.12–5.19) and storing food in uncovered containers (AOR = 5.16; 95% CI: 1.23–21.71) were associated with significantly higher odds of reported prior household LF occurrence. The findings highlight a potential knowledge-to-practice gap in Lassa fever prevention in hyperendemic communities. Household food storage practices, particularly food storage on the floor and in uncovered containers, were associated with reported prior household LF occurrence, underscoring the need to strengthen community-based food storage and environmental sanitation interventions.
Igbokwe et al. (Wed,) studied this question.