An outbreak of a fever almost similar to the Ebola virus, that is spread by rats, has caused widespread panic among Nigerians, who have turned to buying all the rat poison they can get from local vendors.

The disease, known as Lassa Fever, has already killed 76 people in the northern part of the West African nation since it broke out in late 2015 and as sparked fears that it could kill more if not contained, CCTV Africa reported.

In unlikely turn of events, rat poison vendors have recorded booming sales for their products as people rush to kill the rodents in their houses. They said sales have increased four-folds because of the outbreak.

“We used to have 4 to 5 people coming to buy rat poison per day. But now we have more than 30 people coming per day. Everyone is coming looking for rat poison because of this outbreak,” Abubakar Ja’afaru, a rat poison vendor, told CCTV Africa.

The disease is transmitted by rat excrement, and in its later stages shares symptoms with Ebola, which killed over 11,300 people in West Africa after it broke out in 2013. Eight people died from Ebola in Nigeria.

The Nigerian government has said the spread of Lassa fever was under control, though specialists have voice concern over the way the outbreak is being handled.