Lassa Fever

Context: Recently, three persons diagnosed with Lassa fever in the UK died. The cases have been linked to travel to west African countries.
About Lassa Fever

• The Lassa fever-causing virus is found in West Africa and was first discovered in 1969 in Lassa, Nigeria.
• The fever is spread by rats.
• It is primarily found in countries in West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria where it is endemic.

A person can become infected if they come in contact with household items of food that is contaminated with the urine or feces of an infected rat.

• Person-to-person transmission is more common in healthcare settings.
• Symptoms typically appear 1-3 weeks after exposure. 

Mild symptoms include slight fever, fatigue, weakness and headache.

• More serious symptoms include bleeding, difficulty breathing, vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back, and abdomen and shock.
• Death can occur from two weeks of the onset of symptoms, usually as a result of multi-organ failure.

Treatment: The antiviral drug ribavirin seems to be an effective treatment for Lassa fever if given early on in the course of clinical illness.
How to prevent the epidemic: Maintaining hygiene to prevent rats from entering the house, keeping food in rat-proof containers and laying down rat traps.