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Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research / Infection Control and Ventilation / Mosquito Borne Diseases and Control · Journal article
Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health · September 6, 2026
Raises a question worth testing. It does not answer one.
This is a narrative review proposing that abattoirs function as sentinel surveillance sites for Lassa fever detection in West Africa, supported by a One Health framework linking occupational risk, rodent ecology, and community transmission. The argument is conceptual and evidence-based on literature synthesis rather than empirical demonstration of surveillance sensitivity, specificity, or outbreak detection efficacy.
Narrative review. Abattoir workers in West Africa; broader populations exposed through community and household transmission from infected workers.. West Africa.
Abattoir workers face severe, under-recognized occupational health hazard due to routine unprotected exposure to animal tissues, blood, and bioaerosols. Abattoirs offer ideal conditions for Mastomys natalensis rodents to thrive and contaminate surfaces and meat products due to abundant organic waste and inadequate sanitation. Abattoirs centralize large animal populations and waste streams, potentially allowing earlier detection of spillover events than hospital-based surveillance systems.
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
Public health authorities in West Africa should consider strengthening surveillance, biosafety protocols, and rodent control at abattoirs as part of integrated Lassa fever prevention. Implementation requires validation through prospective surveillance studies demonstrating sensitivity and timeliness compared to existing systems.
A narrative review proposing abattoirs as sentinel sites for Lassa surveillance; raises a conceptual framework and occupational risk hypothesis rather than presenting empirical evidence of efficacy or surveillance yield.
As stated by the source record.
Public health authorities in West Africa should consider strengthening surveillance, biosafety protocols, and rodent control at abattoirs as part of integrated Lassa fever prevention. Implementation requires validation through prospective surveillance studies demonstrating sensitivity and timeliness compared to existing systems.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
What is missing. This record has no reported figures. That is a gap in the analysis, not a judgement about the study.
Lassa fever (LF), an acute viral haemorrhagic disease caused by Lassa virus (LASV), remains a significant public health concern in West Africa. The multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis) is the principal reservoir, with humans primarily exposed through contact with infected rodent excreta and contaminated materials. Although healthcare workers are widely recognized as an occupationally vulnerable group, abattoir workers may represent an under-recognized population at risk because of frequent contact with animal blood and tissues, compounded by poor sanitation, inadequate rodent control, and inconsistent use of personal protective equipment (PPE). This review synthesizes available evidence on the occupational risk of Lassa virus exposure among abattoir workers and examines the broader public health implications, with emphasis on strengthening surveillance, biosafety, and integrated One Health interventions within abattoir settings. This is a narrative review that consolidates existing findings and literature on the epidemiology of Lassa fever, its virology and transmission pathways, the link between abattoirs and zoonotic disease exposure, rodent activity and biosecurity in abattoirs, and public health implications. Abattoirs, characterized by abundant organic waste and inadequate sanitation, offer ideal conditions for rodents like Mastomys natalensis to thrive and contaminate surfaces and meat products. Abattoir workers face a severe, under-recognized occupational health hazard due to routine and unprotected exposure to animal tissues, blood, and bioaerosols. Infected workers, serving as an entry point, can inadvertently act as vectors, introducing the virus into households and communities, fueling outbreaks. Abattoirs represent critical sentinel sites for early detection, as they centralize large animal populations and waste streams, allowing for detection of spillover events earlier than hospital-based systems. Abattoirs represent important yet addressable points of Lassa fever risk. Recognizing their potential as sentinel sites and integrating coordinated One Health interventions could help policymakers detect and disrupt hidden Lassa virus transmission pathways, protect at-risk population.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.