Lassa fever orLassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF) is afever caused by the Lassa virus. It is common inWest Africa. One in 80 people who get Lassa fever will die.[1] Some cases are severe and require going to ahospital. These cases have a death rate of 1 in 5. Lassa Fever was discovered in 1969 after twonurses died from thedisease.[2] It was named for thetown inBorno State,Nigeria where it was firstdiagnosed.[2][3]
Lassa fever istransmitted fromrodents tohumans. It is caused by direct contact with rodentdroppings.[4] It can also be transmitted by humans to other humans by their blood. Lassa fever is common in West and CentralAfrica (around the equator).
Lassa fever cannot be transmitted bybreathing. It is not verycontagious between humans. However it is much more contagious among seriously ill patients. Lassa fever is transmitted by humans throughskin lesions,mucous that is exposed to the virus, or by a patient'sblood. This meanshealthcareworkers (such asdoctors andnurses) need to be especially careful in treating patients, or they risk getting the virus themselves.
In 80% of cases, the disease does not have anysymptoms and does not make people ill. In the other 20% of cases it shows symptoms and becomes much more severe.[4] About 5,000 people die from it each year.[4]
Ininfectedpatients, the disease has anincubation period of 5 days to 3 weeks.[5] During this time, the virus remainsdormant and does not cause harm. After this time various symptoms begin to appear including:
Inlaboratories, there are many ways to test if a patient has Lassa fever. However, in many of the affectedregions, there is noequipment to do the tests. This means sometimes people may not be correctly tested and identified with having Lassa fever.
If a patient isdiagnosed with Lassa fever, then the patient will be kept away from other people, to prevent the spread of thevirus. If found early, it is possible to treat Lassa fever with themedicineRibavirin. Despite the fact thedrug is relatively cheap, the medicine is still considered expensive for many people in affected regions. Patients may also requireblood transfusions andrehydration.
Pregnant women in their 3rdtrimester may need their baby's birth to beinduced to allow them to have a chance of survival.
Due to the use of Ribavirin, fewer people are dying from Lassa fever.
It is not practical to control the amount of rodents in the affected states. Therefore the best way of prevention is to keep rodents out of houses and public areas to prevent people coming into contact with infected droppings. Infected patients should also be isolated to prevent the spread of the virus (by humans to other humans). In rich countries, diseases such as Lassa fever can be easily monitored bypublic health organisations to preventoutbreaks. Poor countries often cannot afford these services.
There is avaccine which has shown promise inprimates. It has not yet been proved effective in humans.
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