JUST as the Ebola scare, which gripped the nation two years ago made sanitizers and bitter cola scarce commodities, 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.

Sellers of the product, once perceived as the less- privileged in society, are now the toast of many, especially the privileged class. The patronage for their products and services in exterminating rodents from households has skyrocketed in the last few days.

This development is not unconnected with the outbreak of the Lassa fever virus in some parts of the country, which medical experts have said is caused by rats.

According to Anthony Obi, who hawks the rat killer products, 2016 has started on a very good note. "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.

, now with about two million population, shares boundary with Oyo at Asa Local Council, just as it shares boundary with Niger by Moro, Edu, Kiama and Patigi council areas.

Already, all government's owned hospitals from primary to secondary levels have been put on red alert to report directly to the state's Ministry of Health "any slightest case" presenting itself as Lassa Fever.

According to the state's Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Mahmoud Ajeigbe, yesterday in a chat with The Guardian, the state government had at the breakout of the contagious viral disease in some parts of the country, put in place a committee on it.

In the same vein, the Chief Medical Director of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Prof. Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, said the hospital, reacting to Federal Government's directive, had put in place an Isolation Centre for the management of patients diagnosed with the disease.

Ajeigbe, who said no reported case of the outbreak had been discovered yet in Kwara, disclosed that the state government was covertly working on modalities to prevent recording any casualty in the state. He urged the people of the state to maintain a high hygiene etiquette and not panic about the development.

Direct telephone lines of the state's Ministry of Health have since been given to all healthcare centres, warning members of the public against harbouring persons manifesting symptoms of the disease.

But the good news for now is that the disease is not in Kwara and we pray it does not get here. Also, all our staff at the Ministry of Health have been placed on red alert," the commissioner said.