LASSA FEVER
Key facts Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of 2-21 days duration that occurs in West Africa.The Lassa virus is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in hospitals lacking adequate infection prevention and control measures.Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, but probably exists in other West African countries as well.The overall case-fatality rate is 1%. Observed case-fatality rate among patients hospitalized with severe cases of Lassa fever is 15%.Early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival. Background Though first described in the 1950s, the virus causing Lassa disease was not identified until 1969. The virus is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the virus family Arenaviridae . About 80% of people who beco