Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic illness. Duration is 2-21 days and occurs especially in West Africa.

The virus is transmitted to human beings through direct contact with food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of rodents.

Person-to-person infections with laboratory transmissions can occur, especially in hospitals lacking adequate infection preventive and control measures.

Lassa fever is particularly known to be endemic in West Africa especially Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.

An overall case-fatality rate is about 1%. Studied case-fatality rate among patients hospitalized with severe cases of Lassa fever is about 15%.
An early supportive care with both rehydration and symptomatic treatment can improve survival.

Symptoms can include:

• Cough
• Dyspnoea- difficulty breathing
• bleeding in the gums, nose, eyes.
• hepatitis
• vomiting and diarrhea, both with blood
• Dysphagia- Difficulty swallowing
• Swollen airways
• swollen face
• pain in the chest, back, and abdomen
• shock
• hearing loss or deafness, which may be permanent
• abnormal heart rhythms
• high or low blood pressure
• pericarditis.
• tremors
• encephalitis
• meningitis
• seizures

Lassa fever Prevention tips:

• Cooking/boiling your foods thoroughly before consumption.

• community hygiene, to control the rat population.

•regular hand-washing
• storing foods in rodent-proof containers
• keeping garbage away from the home
• keeping pet cats
• avoiding blood and other bodily fluids •when caring for sick relatives
• following safe burial procedures
• using protective equipment in a healthcare setting, including masks and eyewear.

Source: https://myhealthetic.com/2020/01/26/lassa-fever-prevention-tips/

Informative