Infection prevention and control must be strengthened urgently, as the high treated in structures unprepared for and unfamiliar with the requirements for lassa treatment. Results lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever, caused by the lassa virus and first reported in lassa town, borno state, nigeria in 1969. Laboratory the group identified the need for standard laboratory support for. Knowledge attitude and practices toward lassa fever control. Lassa virus is typically transmitted by the urine or feces of mastomys rats to humans. Tracking lassa fever across three countries blogs cdc. Lassa fever can also be spread between humans through direct contact with the blood, pharyngeal secretions, urine, faeces or other body secretions of an infected person. Since then it has become endemic in many parts of west africa. It is transmitted to humans from contacts with food or household items contaminated with rodent excreta. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms.
Measures for prevention and control kehinde charles mofolorunsho 1, & 1 department of microbiology, faculty of natural sciences, kogi state university anyigba, nigeria. Laboratory diagnosis of lassa fever journal of clinical. Nigerians adopt preventive measures as lassa fever rampages. Lassa fever in nigeria watch level 1, practice usual. Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by lassa virus lasv, which is endemic throughout much of west africa. Lassa virus is one of more than 25 causative viruses of viral hemorrhagic fever table 4. The centers for disease control and prevention cdc has estimated the number of lassa fever cases per year in west africa to be between 100 000 and 300 000, with approximately 5000 deaths. Infection with lassa virus in humans may take many forms. Through 3 successive lassa fever outbreaks in benin and togo, each with crossborder implications, benin, nigeria, and togo enhanced their binational and multinational communication and collaboration to rapidly identify and respond to cases and atrisk communities connected through informal migration and cultural, economic, and political. Pdf knowledge, attitude and infection prevention and. When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains. Nigerians adopt preventive measures as lassa fever. Lassa fever is one of a group of viral hemorrhagic fevers vhfs.
Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for lassa virus, the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis is distributed throughout the region. A small percentage of people infected with lassa fever will develop complications like hemorrhaging, respiratory distress, tremors, encephalitis, and multiorgan failure. Find out more about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of lassa fever, steps to prevent it, and a vaccine that researchers hope is in the pipeline. Epidemiology of lassa fever and factors associated with. We investigated the knowledge and risk perception of residents towards lf and determined the factors influencing their risk perception in communities that have reported confirmed. Lassa fever is caused by lassa fever virus, a member of the family arenaviridae. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices toward lassa fever control and prevention among residents of ileife, southwest nigeria. For example, in an article on the prevention of lassa fever in nigeria by inegbenebor et al. Abstract lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by lassa virus lassa mammarenavirus, a negativesense singlestranded rna virus of the arenaviridae family. As the lancet went to press, the nigeria centre for disease control had reported 615 suspected cases of lassa fever and 57 deaths since the beginning of the year. Persontoperson infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in the. Lassa antibody and antigen were found in 96 11% and 46 5%, respectively, of 884 tested mastomys demby et al.
Lassa fever constitutes a health hazard in edo central district of nigeria, as the inhabitants of this area of nigeria indulge in habits or activities that favor the spread of lassa fever. Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. We report the epidemiology of lassa fever in bauchi state, a diseaseendemic region, in nigeria. In addition, prevention of spread through adherence to ipc measures and safe burial practices was reiterated.
The virus is transmitted by multimammate rats, and responsible for deadly epidemics of haemorrhagic fevers in the west africa subregion. The mano river union lassa fever network mru lfn was established in 2004 to assist in developing national and regional surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention. Knowledge, attitude and infection prevention and control practices regarding lassa fever among healthcare workers in edo state, nigeria article pdf available april 2019 with 666 reads. Mild symptoms include slight fever, general malaise and weakness, and headache.
Abstract introduction lassa fever is an acute viral zoonotic illness caused by lassa virus, an arena virus known to be responsible for a severe haemorrhagic fever characterized by fever, muscle aches, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and chest and. The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of west africa. The virus primarily circulates in the mastomys natalensis reservoir and is transmitted to humans through contact with infectious rodents or their secretions. Feb 07, 2020 lassa fever is a viral infection that causes signs and symptoms that include fever, malaise, headache, and weakness. It is endemic in parts of west africa including sierra leone, liberia, guinea and nigeria. Several vhfs are caused by arenaviruses, a family of enveloped rna viruses. Apr 29, 2019 tracking lassa fever across three countries. Apr 20, 2016 lassa fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic fever, extremely virulent and often infectious, occurs very frequently in different parts of nigeria 14 and affects approximately 100,000500,000 persons per year in west africa 5, 6. Knowledge attitude and practices toward lassa fever. His condition deteriorated during his trip through benin. There is therefore a need for the development of strategic preventive methods that will stop the spread of lassa fever in this district.
Jun 27, 2018 lassa fever is a viral disease spread by the the multimammate rat. Lassa fever is a viral illness that originated in west africa in 1969. Mass media awareness campaign and the prevention of the. Epidemiologic and clinical features of lassa fever outbreak. Jul 31, 2017 health workers are at risk if caring for lassa fever patients in the absence of proper barrier nursing and infection prevention and control practices. Lassa virus remains an important cause of illness in west africa and among the travelers returning from this region with an acute febrile illness. Lassa fever a medical condition caused by rodents and mainly occurs in west africa is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness that lasts for two to twenty one days. Prevention of lassa fever relies on promoting good community hygiene to discourage rodents from entering homes.
Lassa fever is strongly linked to poor hygiene and sanitation. The symptoms of lassa fever can be nonspecific and mimic those of other endemic infections, especially early in illness, making a clinical diagnosis difficult. It is one of the viral hemorrhagic fevers vhf with incubation period of 221 days. Prevention of lassa fever in nigeria transactions of the. Since then, there have been repeated outbreaks in nigeria and other west african countries 3, 4, particularly sierra leone and liberia but also togo, and the republic of benin. Pathophysiology and treatment of lassa fever springerlink. Low risk perceptions have been reported to prevent appropriate preventive behaviours. Knowledge and risk perception towards lassa fever infection. Because the symptoms of lassa fever are so varied and nonspecific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease.
Effective measures include storing grain and other foodstuffs in rodentproof containers, disposing of garbage far from the home, maintaining clean households and keeping cats. Patient with fever for 321 days with a measured temperature of 38oc or more with one or more of the following. It is widespread in many african countries, such as liberia and sierra leone, and it can be fatal. The multimammate mouse mastomys natalensis is the only known nonhuman host for lassa virus monath et al. The animal reservoir is the rodent multimammate rat mastomys natalensis. Since 2015, major increases in lassa fever attack rate and in the casefatality rate have occurred in this state. Late rainy and early dry season affects all age groups and both sexes. Lassa fever, also known as lassa hemorrhagic fever lhf, is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the lassa virus. The risk of death once infected is about one percent. A delay in seeking care by a casepatient for 7 days after symptom onset was the major predictor of death. Current research for a vaccine against lassa hemorrhagic fever virus bryce m warner,1 david safronetz,2 derek r stein2 1department of medical microbiology, university of manitoba, winnipeg, mb, canada.
The center of disease control and prevention has confirmed a case of lassa fever at emory university hospital. When a person who may have lassa fever seeks medical attention, proper transmission prevention measures must be taken. Unlike ebola virus, lassa fever is not as contagious person to person, nor as deadly. Full text current research for a vaccine against lassa. Development of a new vaccine for the prevention of lassa fever.
Epidemiologic and clinical features of lassa fever. Research is presently under way to develop a vaccine for lassa fever. Lassa fever lf is an epidemicprone zoonotic disease prevalent in nigeria and ebonyi state is a high burden area in nigeria. When a beninese migrant worker fell ill in nigeria in december 2017, he decided to return to his parents home in togo for care. Such infections are often asymptomatic, but in those who become ill, the disease can range from an uncomplicated fever of unknown origin to a fulminating hemorrhagic disease. In the past year, cepi has awarded contracts to five vaccine candidates based on dna and recombinant virus platform technologies. As of 19 february 2016, there have been 72 cases 6 confirmed, 12 probable and 54 suspected cases, and 27 people have died cfr 33%. Nigerian health officials have declared an outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria. Frontiers caseload and case fatality of lassa fever in. The illness was discovered in lassa, borno state where it was first reported. Lassa fever, also known as lassa hemorrhagic fever, is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the lassa virus. Other challenges include developing more rapid diagnostic tests and increasing the availability of the only known drug treatment, ribavirin.
Lassa fever is an acute viral zoonotic disease with high virulence. Nosocomial transmission is common in endemic areas. Persontoperson transmission of lassa fever has occurred in health care settings after exposure to. National guidelines for lassa fever case management 1 nigeria centre for disease control foreword the large lassa fever outbreak in nigeria between january and may 2018, increased our awareness of the need to have welldetailed and easily accessible guidelines, for response activities. Healthcare workers caring for lassa fever patients require extra infection prevention and control measures, including training in and use of personal protective equipment to prevent contact with patients bodily fluids. In addition, lf is the most exported vhf, particularly to europe 4, 7, 8 and america. Civil unrest and inadequate health care resources often has limited research on prevention and control of lassa fever in west africa. The patient needs to be kept in isolation, and anyone in contact with him must use barrier protections like masks, gloves, gowns, and goggles. Less commonly there may be bleeding from the mouth or gastrointestinal tract. Vaccine platforms for the prevention of lassa fever. For the majority of lassa fever virus infections approximately 80%, symptoms are mild and are undiagnosed.
Proper sterilization of surfaces and equipment is likewise required. Unless you live in or have visited certain parts of western africa, or have had close contact with someone who does or has, your likelihood of contracting lassa fever is very low. Lassa fever is an animalborne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness. Jan 01, 2010 lassa fever was first noticed in lassa town in the state of borno, nigeria. A world health organization expert panel recently named lassa fever one of eight emerging infectious diseases most likely to cause major epidemics. Lassa fever was first recognized in lassa, nigeria, in 1969 and is endemic to west africa.
Cdc fact sheet centers for disease control and prevention. The frequent movement of people across the beninnigeria and benintogo borders makes it imperative for the countries to foster both formal and informal communication and information sharing. Signs and symptoms of lassa fever typically occur weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus. We investigated the knowledge and risk perception of residents towards lf and determined the factors influencing.
Lassa fever is a viral infection that causes signs and symptoms that include fever, malaise, headache, and weakness. It is a very unusual situation, said wondimagegnehu alemu, who representative in nigeria. Healthcare workers caring for lassa fever patients require extra infection prevention and control measures, including training in and use of personal. Lassa fever lf, one of the severe viral hemorrhagic fevers vhf, was first reported from nigeria in 1969. In this article, we report an analysis of the epidemiologic and clinical aspects of the lf outbreak that occurred in nigeria during january 1may 6, 2018. Lassa fever is a hemorrhagic illness caused by lassa virus. Last week, the nigeria centre for disease control, ncdc, confirmed 16 deaths in.
Lassa fever is a disease that is spread primarily by rats. Development of a therapeutic for lassa fever national. Cepi is a relatively new alliance formed to support and finance vaccine development for the prevention of infectious disease epidemics, for which lassa fever is listed as a priority pathogen. Measures to control protracted large lassa fever outbreak in. Outbreaks often emphasise the essence of hand hygiene in the prevention of diseases. Travelers to nigeria should avoid contact with rats, especially rat urine and feces, and keep their accommodations or campsites clean. Consequent upon the above findings, this paper concludes that media lassa fever awareness campaign is accessible to the rural populace but it has little or no impact on the eradication or prevention of the spread of the disease in the rural communities of ebonyi state. By the same stage of 2017, the country had reported fewer than 200 cases. General facts viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the arenavirus lassa transmitted from rodents to humans discovered in nigeria, 1969 endemic in portions of west africa seasonal clustering. Lassa fever had been reported as a cause of death especially in endemic parts of nigeria. Lassa virus, the causative agent of lassa fever, is a member of the family arenaviridae. The last lassa fever outbreak in benin occurred in february 2017 and involved someone traveling from nigeria.
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