Does Drinking Garri Really Cause Lassa Fever?

I was just thinking how true dis will really be...

Assuming 1 million Nigerians drink garri with cold water every week, or every month. And lets say only 0.1% of the garri being drank were contaminated with the lassa virus, we shd be battling with 1,000 cases of lassa fever victims by now, especially those in the rural areas. We shd have an epidermic by now or have ppl suddenly stopped drinking garri?

So I ask again, do ppl really get infected with lassa fever just by drinking garri with cold water, or its just an assumption?

If I go village now go buy bush garri way lassa rat don climb and piss or shit on top, den I put the garri inside container for over 10 days without using it, will the virus still be active?

Does the virus live in the rat cells or garri molecules?

If the virus can survive outside its host(rat), how long will the virus stay alive or active outside its host?

Or does the virus have primary and secondary hosts?