Back Lassakoors Afrikaans حمى لاسا Arabic حمى لاسا ARZ Febre de Lassa Catalan Horečka Lassa Czech Lassafeber Danish Lassafieber German Πυρετός Λάσα Greek Fiebre de Lassa Spanish Lassakuume Finnish
| Lassa fever | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Lassa hemorrhagic fever |
 | |
| Community education material for Lassa fever | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
| Symptoms | Fever, headaches, bleeding[1] |
| Complications | Partial or complete, temporary or permanent hearing loss[1] |
| Usual onset | 1–3 weeks following exposure[1] |
| Causes | Lassa virus[1] |
| Risk factors | Exposure to rodents in West Africa[1] |
| Diagnostic method | Laboratory testing[1] |
| Differential diagnosis | Ebola, malaria, typhoid fever[1] |
| Treatment | Supportive[1] |
| Prognosis | ~1% risk of death with treatment[1] |
| Frequency | 400,000 cases per year[2] |
| Deaths | 5,000 deaths per year[2] |
Lassa fever, also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever, is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus.[1] Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms.[1] When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains.[1] Less commonly there may be bleeding from the mouth or gastrointestinal tract.[1] The risk of death once infected is about one percent and frequently occurs within two weeks of the onset of symptoms.[1] Of those who survive, about a quarter have hearing loss, which improves within three months in about half of these cases.[1][3][4]
The disease is usually initially spread to people via contact with the urine or feces of an infected multimammate mouse.[1] Spread can then occur via direct contact between people.[1][5] Diagnosis based on symptoms is difficult.[1] Confirmation is by laboratory testing to detect the virus's RNA, antibodies for the virus, or the virus itself in cell culture.[1] Other conditions that may present similarly include Ebola, malaria, typhoid fever, and yellow fever.[1] The Lassa virus is a member of the Arenaviridae family of viruses.[1]
There is no vaccine.[6] Prevention requires isolating those who are infected and decreasing contact with the mice.[1] Other efforts to control the spread of disease include having a cat to hunt vermin, and storing food in sealed containers.[1] Treatment is directed at addressing dehydration and improving symptoms.[1] The antiviral medication ribavirin has been recommended,[1] but evidence to support its use is weak.[7][8]
Descriptions of the disease date from the 1950s.[1] The virus was first described in 1969 from a case in the town of Lassa, in Borno State, Nigeria.[1][9] Lassa fever is relatively common in West Africa including the countries of Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ghana.[1][2] There are about 300,000 to 500,000 cases which result in 5,000 deaths a year.[2][10]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "Lassa fever". WHO. March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d Ogbu O, Ajuluchukwu E, Uneke CJ (2007). "Lassa fever in West African sub-region: an overview". Journal of Vector Borne Diseases. 44 (1): 1–11. PMID 17378212.
Lassa fever is endemic in West Africa.
- ^ "Lassa fever". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Lassa Fever | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 4 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ Asogun DA, Günther S, Akpede GO, Ihekweazu C, Zumla A (December 2019). "Lassa fever: epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, management and prevention" (PDF). Infectious Disease Clinics. 33 (4): 933–951. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2019.08.002. PMID 31668199. S2CID 204969863. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ Yun NE, Walker DH (2012). "Pathogenesis of Lassa Fever". Viruses. 4 (12): 2031–2048. doi:10.3390/v4102031. PMC 3497040. PMID 23202452.
- ^ Eberhardt KA, Mischlinger J, Jordan S, Groger M, Günther S, Ramharter M (October 2019). "Ribavirin for the treatment of Lassa fever: A systematic review and meta-analysis". International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 87: 15–20. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2019.07.015. PMID 31357056.
- ^ Salam A, Cheng V, Edwards T, Olliaro P, Sterne J, Horby P (July 2021). "Time to reconsider the role of ribavirin in Lassa fever". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 15 (7): e0009522. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0009522. PMC 8266111. PMID 34237063.
- ^ Frame JD, Baldwin JM, Gocke DJ, Troup JM (1 July 1970). "Lassa fever, a new virus disease of man from West Africa. I. Clinical description and pathological findings". Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 19 (4): 670–6. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1970.19.670. PMID 4246571.
- ^ Houlihan C, Behrens R (12 July 2017). "Lassa fever". BMJ. 358: j2986. doi:10.1136/bmj.j2986. PMID 28701331. S2CID 206916006.