Lassa fever outbreak kills eight in Liberia
An outbreak of of the viral disease, Lassa fever, in Central Liberia in West Africa has sickened a at least a dozen people, according to a communication in ProMED-mail today.
Bong County Health Officer Dr. Samson Azoakoi told journalists that 12 Lassa fever cases have been reported from Phebe Hospital in Bong County in Central Liberia over the past 2 months. Of these, there have been 8 fatalities based on clinical diagnosis. Tissue specimens have been sent out of the country for confirmation. The Lassa fever belt in Liberia occurs predominantly in Lofa, Bong and Nimba Counties across the northern tier of counties bordering Guinea.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in West Africa. The virus, a member of the virus family Arenaviridae, is a single-stranded RNA virus and is zoonotic, or animal-borne.
This transmission electron micrograph (TEM) depicted numbers of Lassa virus virions adjacent to some cell debris. Image/C. S. Goldsmith
Lassa fever is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. 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.
The animal host of Lassa virus is a rodent known as the “multimammate rat” of the genus Mastomys. Humans get infected with Lassa through aerosol or direct contact with excreta from the rodent. Laboratory infections do occur primarily through contaminated needles.
The symptoms of Lassa fever typically occur 1-3 weeks after the patient comes into contact with thevirus. These include fever, retrosternal pain (pain behind the chest wall), sore throat, back pain, cough,abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, facial swelling, proteinuria (protein in the urine), and mucosal bleeding. Neurological problems have also been described, including hearing loss, tremors, and encephalitis.
There is no preventive vaccine for Lassa fever.
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