The illness was discovered in lassa, borno state where it was first reported. Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever that spreads to humans through contact with infected rats. Distribution of age and sex among patients with laboratoryconfirmed lassa fever, nigeria, january 1may 6, 2018 aors, 95% cis, and p values calculated by using the binomial logistic regression model for fatal outcomes. Ilori is the national lassa fever technical working group. Results lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever, caused by the lassa virus and first reported in lassa town, borno state, nigeria in 1969. Three states are reporting 85% of all confirmed cases. How can i prevent getting infected with lassa fever. Lassa fever spreads to humans most often through ingestion or inhalation of virus particles in rat urine. Lassa fever is known to have a case fatality rate as high as 23 percent, much higher than the 3.
In its severest form, if it is not treated, the disease can lead to death. General facts viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the arenavirus lassa transmitted from rodents to humans discovered in nigeria, 1969 endemic in portions of west africa seasonal clustering. Analysis of viral genomic sequence of samples collected in 2019 revealed that the main source of infection is spill over from rodents. Lassa fever symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and causes. Lassa virus is also on the centers for disease control and preventions list of category a select agents. Lassa fever is an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness caused by lassa virus, a member of the virus family arenaviridae. The mass media encompasses print and nonprint methods of disseminating information including magazines, newspapers, radio, and television to a large. Call toronto public health at 4163387600 tty at 4163920658 or speak to your healthcare provider. Health workers may be infected by direct contact with blood, body fluids, urine, or stool of a patient with lassa fever. Review of the literature and proposed guidelines for the. Lassa fever facts written by melissa conrad stoppler, md.
The lassa fever virus lfv was named after the town where the first cases occurred. Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of 221 days duration that occurs in west africa. Lassa fever is part of a group of conditions known as viral haemorrhagic fevers. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died in nigeria, west africa. Less commonly there may be bleeding from the mouth or gastrointestinal tract. The risk of getting lassa fever in the united states is extremely low signs and symptoms of lassa fever are usually mild lassa fever can be treated if a healthcare worker suspects lassa fever in a patient, a laboratory test can diagnose the disease. Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, has been used to successfully treat patients with lassa fever. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died of it in nigeria.
Pathophysiology and treatment of lassa fever springerlink. The study showed that there was poor awareness of lassa fever among members of the community. Each year, an estimated 300,000 people are infected, and severe cases can be fatal. Low risk perceptions have been reported to prevent appropriate preventive behaviours. The study population consisted of all children and women. The lack of specificity of its clinical manifestations makes its diagnosis difficult even in an epidemic context. Introduction to lassa fever world health organization. Viral haemorrhagic fevers can be caused by viruses from several different families, all of which have the potential to cause disease with haemorrhagic features. Infection with lassa virus in humans may take many forms. It was named after the place where the first case occurred.
Keep your home clean and tidy to discourage rats from entering 4. Lassa antibody and antigen were found in 96 11% and 46 5%, respectively, of 884 tested mastomys demby et al. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms. Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in west africa. The lassa fever virus spreads by an animal reservoir, or host, known as the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis. Lassa fever occurs in all age groups and in both men and women. When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains. Awareness of lassa fever in a rural community in south. It is endemic to west africa, spread by the multimammate rat that abounds in the region and is sometimes eaten as bushmeat. Lassa mammarenavirus is an emerging virus and a select agent, requiring biosafety level 4equivalent containment. The cause of the illness was found to be lassa virus, named after the town in nigeria where the first cases originated. Causes, symptoms, and diagnosis medical news today. Lassa fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic fever, extremely virulent and often infectious, occurs very frequently in different parts of nigeria 14 and affects approximately 100,000500,000 persons per year in west africa 5, 6.
Lassa fever is a viral disease spread by the the multimammate rat. Such infections are often asymptomatic, but in those who become ill, the disease can range from an uncomplicated fever of unknown origin to a fulminating hemorrhagic disease. It is spread through the feces and urine of the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis. Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fever viruses like ebola virus, marburg virus, and others unlike ebola virus, lassa fever is not as contagious person to person, nor as deadly lassa virus is typically transmitted by the urine or feces of mastomys rats to humans. Lassa fever is a viral infection found in east africa, including sierra leone, liberia, guinea, and nigeria. Benin was last affected by lassa fever over a 4 monthperiod in 20142015 when 16. If you suspect you have lassa fever please call toronto public health at 416 3387600. Lassa virus remains an important cause of illness in west africa and among the travelers returning from this region with an acute febrile illness. It is endemic in west african countries, especially sierra leone, the republic of guinea, nigeria, and liberia, where the annual. Although lassa fever is endemic in nigeria, the current outbreaks in the affected states have reached an alert peak. Baseline mapping of lassa fever virology, epidemiology and. Lassa fever is one of the most lethal neglected tropical diseases in west africa. Investing in developing and implementing local and regional lassa fever immunization programs and lassa virus transmission dynamics interruption interventions supported by effective cold chain and followup tracking system, contextual communication in establishing trust and confidence with vulnerable communities are all key valueadded. Lassa fever is named after the town in northeastern nigeria in which it was discovered in 1969.
Lassa fever is a significant cause of death and disease in. Lassa fever is also associated with occasional epidemics, during which the casefatality rate can reach 50%. Lassa fever was responsible for 1016% of all adult medical admissions in 1987 in. The lassa virus is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces. Lassa fever was first discovered in 1969 in the town of lassa, in borno state, nigeria. Constraints in the diagnosis and treatment of lassa fever and the. Facts you need to know about lassa fever the guardian. Development of a therapeutic for lassa fever national. Lassa fever is an animalborne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness. Lassa fever, also known as lassa hemorrhagic fever lhf, is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the lassa virus. This guideline provides details on how to identify a suspected case of lassa fever, clinical and laboratory diagnosis, clinical management of lassa fever cases including in special. Health care workers are at risk if proper barrier nursing and infection control practices are not maintained. Lassa mammarenavirus lasv is an arenavirus that causes lassa hemorrhagic fever, a type of viral hemorrhagic fever vhf, in humans and other primates.
Lassa fever lf is endemic to nigeria, where the disease causes substantial rates of illness and death. Laboratory diagnosis of lassa fever journal of clinical. All you need to know about lassa fever this video is all about how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of lassa fever in nigeria. Lassa fever lf is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the lassa virus lasv and endemic in west. Pdf on mar 16, 2012, ute inegbenebor and others published lassa fever in the tropics find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. It is a serious public health problem in this region of africa where it is endemic in several countries. It is a viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as ebola. Symptoms include fever and damage to multiple organs and the circulatory system.
A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. Persons at greatest risk are those living in rural areas where mastomys are usually found, especially in areas of poor sanitation or crowded living conditions. Increase in lassa fever cases in nigeria, januarymarch 2018. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in benin where it was diagnosed for the first time in november 2014, ghana diagnosed for the first time in october 2011, guinea, liberia, mali diagnosed for the first time in february 2009, sierra leone, and nigeria, but probably exists. Lesson learned from the investigation and response of lassa fever. While lassa fever is mild or has no observable symptoms in about 80% of people infected with the virus, the remaining 20% have a severe multisystem disease. Adapted from the cdc special pathogens branch lassa fever fact sheet december 2004. Epidemiologic and clinical features of lassa fever. One of the major challenges of treating lassa fever is the nature of the disease itself because at the onset, it mimics diseases like malaria, says dr umezurike daniel, the health commissioner of nigerias ebonyi state. It is endemic in parts of west africa including sierra leone, liberia, guinea and nigeria. Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for lassa virus, the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis is distributed throughout the region. All of these factors contribute to the relatively efficient spread of lassa virus from infected rodents to humans. Pdf on apr 4, 20, oyedokun sherifdeen m and others published lassa fever.
Find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. The symptoms of lassa fever can be nonspecific and mimic those of other endemic infections, especially early in illness, making a clinical diagnosis difficult. In this article, we report an analysis of the epidemiologic and clinical aspects of the lf outbreak that occurred in nigeria during january 1may 6, 2018. We investigated the knowledge and risk perception of residents towards lf and determined the factors influencing their risk perception in communities that have reported confirmed. Lassa virus, the causative agent of lassa fever, is a member of the family arenaviridae. Evidence shows that an outbreak of lassa fever recently occurred in nigeria, involving many states and fatalities. However, it remains a very little known disease by healthcare workers. Avoid direct contact with rats if rat eat your grain or other food the virus could transfer to the food. The high number of lassa fever cases is concerning, said dr alemu, who representative to nigeria. The virus is endemic in parts of west africa, where an estimated 300,000500,000 cases and 5000 related deaths occur yearly. Lassa fever causes, symptoms, treatment, diagnosis and.
Improved identification of lassa fever cases in nigeria provides the basis for epidemiologic studies of disease and effective disease control. The main reservoir for of lassa fever virus is rodents and humans can be infected by contact with infected animals or their excretions, although humantohuman transmission is possible and sporadically reported. Lassa fever lf is an epidemicprone zoonotic disease prevalent in nigeria and ebonyi state is a high burden area in nigeria. Lassa fever is reported in benin, cote divoire, ghana, guinea, liberia, mali, nigeria. A significant cause of morbidity and mortality introduction find, read and cite all the research you need on. Lassa fever lf is an acute viral haemorrhagic infection, endemic in west africa.
The multimammate mouse mastomys natalensis is the only known nonhuman host for lassa virus monath et al. Report of a fatal case of lassa fever in parakou in 2018. Measures to control protracted large lassa fever outbreak. It is widespread in many african countries, such as liberia and sierra leone, and it can be fatal. Lassa fever is a viral, hemorrhagic causes bleeding disease found in tropical regions of africa. Causes lassa fever the main cause of lassa virus is a rodent known as the multimammate rat of the genus mastomys but it is not sure that which species of mastomys are associated with lassa fever.
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