What does Lassa fever do to the body?
About 80% of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms. 1 in 5 infections result in severe disease, where the virus affects several organs such as the liver, spleen and kidneys. Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease, meaning that humans become infected from contact with infected animals.
Is there cure for Lassa fever?
Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, has been used with success in Lassa fever patients. It has been shown to be most effective when given early in the course of the illness.
Is Lassa fever contagious?
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. Health workers may be infected by direct contact with blood, body fluids, urine, or stool of a patient with Lassa fever.
Who is affected by Lassa fever?
Lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness. 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.
What causes Lassa virus?
Humans usually become infected with Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa.
Who brought Lassa fever to Nigeria?
Lassa fever was first discovered in 1969 in Nigeria following the death of two missionary nurses in Lassa town, Borno State [6]. The disease is endemic in West Africa countries of Sierra-Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria where about 300,000 to 400,000 cases occur annually with approximately 5,000 deaths [7].
Is Lassa fever still in Nigeria?
Lassa fever (LF) is a zoonotic infectious disease of public concern in Nigeria. The infection dynamics of the disease is not well elucidated in Nigeria. This study was carried out to describe the pattern of infection, case fatality rate and spread of lassa virus (LASV) from 2017 to 2020.