Since then it has become endemic in many parts of west africa. When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains. Lassa fever was first described in the 1950s, and the viral particle was identified in 1969 from three missionary nurses who died in lassa, nigeria, after caring for an infected obstetrical patient. Who moves to contain nigerias lassa fever outbreak who. Lassa fever is on the rampage again in nigeria, but there are simple steps that can be taken to prevent infection. Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for lassa virus, the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis is distributed throughout the region. Isaac adewole, recently announced that 15 states have been hit by an outbreak of lassa fever, with 105 laboratoryconfirmed cases, three probable cases and 31 deaths. Deadly lassafever outbreak tests nigerias revamped health. Lassa fever is caused by lassa fever virus, a member of the family arenaviridae. Adewole said the committee and the nigeria centre for disease control ncdc would design an effective response plan for fighting and preventing the spread of lassa fever in nigeria. Benin was last affected by lassa fever over a 4 monthperiod in 20142015 when 16 cases were reported and 9 people died. Frank is an epidemiologist at the robert koch institute in berlin, germany. Lassa fever nigeria disease outbreak news 14 february 2019 from 1 january through 10 february 2019, 327 cases of lassa fever 324 confirmed cases and.
Less commonly there may be bleeding from the mouth or. 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. About 10 days after the man died, benin declared a lassa fever outbreak with 21 cases, including four deaths. Benin was last affected by lassa fever over a 4 monthperiod in 20142015 when 16. The nigeria cdc has become stronger and faster, says kingsley ukwaja, a physician at the federal teaching hospital, abakaliki in ebonyi state a hotspot for the current lassa outbreak. Lassa fever is endemic in many west african countries and shares some characteristics with ebola. Cultural factors and habits were found to favor endemicity of lassa fever in edo central district of nigeria. Although endemic to the west african nation, lassa fever has never reached this case count in nigeria before. Prevention of lassa fever in nigeria sciencedirect. Wondimagegnehu alemu, who representative to nigeria. Development of a therapeutic for lassa fever national. His condition deteriorated during his trip through benin. In its severest form, if it is not treated, the disease can lead to death. Epidemiologic and clinical features of lassa fever outbreak.
When a beninese migrant worker fell ill in nigeria in december 2017, he decided to return to his parents home in togo for care. Feb 07, 2020 lassa fever is a viral infection that causes signs and symptoms that include fever, malaise, headache, and weakness. There is currently no vaccine available for lassa fever, hence prevention is focused on interrupting the chain of transmission 1. Mar 15, 2018 the nigeria cdc has become stronger and faster, says kingsley ukwaja, a physician at the federal teaching hospital, abakaliki in ebonyi state a hotspot for the current lassa outbreak. Last week, the nigeria centre for disease control, ncdc, confirmed 16 deaths in. The nigeria centre for disease control ncdc recommends a.
Environmental, personal hygiene key to prevention of lassa fever. A small percentage of people infected with lassa fever will develop complications like hemorrhaging, respiratory distress, tremors, encephalitis, and multiorgan failure. Lassa fever was first recognized in lassa, nigeria, in 1969 and is endemic to west africa. Caseload and case fatality of lassa fever in nigeria, 2001. Tracking lassa fever across three countries blogs cdc. Last years outbreak was unusually deadly, claiming 171 lives, and in the first weeks of 2019 the confirmed cases climbed even. 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. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms. How to safely collect blood samples by phlebotomy from patients suspected to be infected with lassa. We are observing an unusually high number of cases for this time of year. Knowledge and risk perception towards lassa fever infection. Lassa fever is named after the town in northeastern nigeria in which it was discovered in 1969. Several vhfs are caused by arenaviruses, a family of enveloped rna viruses.
Technical guidance on lassa fever general information. Gray shading indicates states reporting no laboratoryconfirmed cases. Preventive measures were prescribed for families and communities. Nigeria battles its largest lassa fever outbreak on record.
Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fever viruses, occurring in west africa subregions in similar areas as ebola virus. Lassa virus is a haemorrhagic fever similar to ebola that spikes every year in west africa from december to april. The high number of lassa fever cases is concerning. Thats compared with 733 cases and 71 deaths in all of 2017. Lassa fever erupts in nigeria a pile of garri, a staple food in nigeria, in a shop in lagos. Lassa fever is an animalborne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness.
When a person who may have lassa fever seeks medical attention, proper transmission prevention measures must be taken. In addition to ribavirin, the treatment centres have been provided with other essential commodities required for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lassa fever cases. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices toward lassa fever control and prevention among residents of ileife, southwest nigeria. Lassa fever was first noticed in lassa town in the state of borno, nigeria. Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by rats. The nigeria centre for disease control ncdc is leading nigerias. For example, in an article on the prevention of lassa fever in nigeria by inegbenebor et al. Distribution of age and sex among patients with laboratoryconfirmed lassa fever, nigeria, january 1may 6, 2018 aors, 95% cis, and p values calculated by using the binomial logistic regression model for fatal outcomes. It is endemic in parts of west africa including sierra leone, liberia, guinea and nigeria. Nigeria had an ongoing lassa fever outbreak that had peaked in october 2017.
Prevention of lassa fever in nigeria transactions of the. The nigeria centre for disease control ncdc recommends a number of. Low risk perceptions have been reported to prevent appropriate preventive behaviours. Lassa fever, also known as lassa hemorrhagic fever lhf, is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the lassa virus. Lassa virus, lassa fever, vaccine, therapeutics, prevention, pathogenesis introduction nigeria is currently struggling with a severe reoccurrence of lassa fever lf, with confirmed cases in over half of the country 18 states. Pdf knowledge, attitude and infection prevention and. Mar 28, 2019 when a person who may have lassa fever seeks medical attention, proper transmission prevention measures must be taken. Five of these arenaviruses are classified as category a priority pathogens by the centers for disease control and prevention and the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases. Human to human transmission has been reported 1, 5. Reports on the disease outbreak indicated that at the commencement of 2012, the nigeria federal ministry of health sent notification of the lassa fever outbreak in nigeria to the world health organization. It has been known since the 1950s, but the virus was not identified until 1969, when two missionary nurses died from it in the town of lassa in nigeria. Growing outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria worries. May 26, 2015 amorosa v, macneil a, mcconnell r, et al.
Lassa fever lf is endemic to nigeria, where the disease causes substantial rates of illness and death. The nigeria centre for disease control ncdc was established in the year 2011 in response to the challenges of public health emergencies and to enhance nigerias preparedness and response to epidemics through prevention, detection and control of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. She coordinates the lassa fever response activities and production of various guidelines for lassa fever control in nigeria. Ilori is the national lassa fever technical working group team lead at the nigeria centre for disease control in abuja, nigeria. Treatment of lassa fever is free premium times nigeria. Lassa fever lf, one of the severe viral hemorrhagic fevers vhf, was first reported from nigeria in 1969. Confirmed and probable cases of lassa fever by epidemiological week in nigeria december 2016 to august 2017. 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 infection prevention and control practices regarding lassa fever among healthcare workers in edo state, nigeria article pdf available april 2019 with 775 reads.
The country is fighting an outbreak of lassa virus, which is transmitted in rodent feces and urine and. A lassa fever outbreak in nigeria and neighbouring nations has caused concern among world health organization officials about the speed of its spread. 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. Introduction to lassa fever generic presentation pdf, 1. Jan 01, 2010 lassa fever was first noticed in lassa town in the state of borno, nigeria. As of february 18, the nigeria centre for disease control ncdc reports 9 cases of lassa fever and 73 deaths. Nigeria battles its largest lassa fever outbreak on record nigerias lassa fever outbreak has reached record highs with 317 laboratory confirmed cases, according to figures released by the nigeria centre for disease control ncdc this week.
Geographic and temporal distribution of laboratoryconfirmed lassa fever cases, nigeria, january 1may 6, 2018. 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. It is a viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as ebola. Knowledge attitude and practices toward lassa fever control. The world report by talha burki feb 24, p 7281 described an unprecedented astronomical rise in lassa fever cases in nigeria, for which the first case was reported in 1969 and the epidemiology and endemicity are well understood. Distribution of confirmed and probable lassa fever cases in nigeria as at august 2017. The illness was discovered in lassa, borno state where it was first reported. 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. Increase in lassa fever cases in nigeria, januarymarch 2018. Nov 27, 2003 lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by rats.
The centers for disease control and prevention cdc has estimated the number of lassa fever cases per year in west africa to be 100,000 to 300,000, with approximately 5000 deaths. Lassa fever is a viral infection that causes signs and symptoms that include fever, malaise, headache, and weakness. Lassa fever had been reported as a cause of death especially in endemic parts of nigeria. Molecular diagnostics for lassa fever at irrua specialist teaching hospital, nigeria. Nigerians adopt preventive measures as lassa fever rampages. The casefatality rate of lassa fever in this center was 28%. Lassa fever lf is an epidemicprone zoonotic disease prevalent in nigeria and ebonyi state is a high burden area in nigeria. Jan 30, 2018 lassa fever is on the rampage again in nigeria, but there are simple steps that can be taken to prevent infection. Failure of the nigerian health system to prioritise preparedness activities has been detrimental for prompt control of lassa fever, which requires robust laboratory.
Found predominantly in west africa,1 it has the potential to cause tens of thousands of deaths. Lassa fever is one of a group of viral hemorrhagic fevers vhfs. The patient needs to be kept in isolation, and anyone in contact with him must use barrier protections like masks, gloves, gowns, and goggles. Preventing lassa fever infection in nigeria the guardian. 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. Jan 29, 2016 adewole said the committee and the nigeria centre for disease control ncdc would design an effective response plan for fighting and preventing the spread of lassa fever in nigeria. Late rainy and early dry season affects all age groups and both sexes 3. A geographic distribution of laboratoryconfirmed cases by state. It is endemic to west africa, spread by the multimammate rat that abounds in the region and is sometimes eaten as bushmeat. Locations of lassa fever treatment centers are indicated. Current research for a vaccine against lassa hemorrhagic. Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fever viruses, occurring in west africa sub. Lassa fever is a hemorrhagic illness caused by lassa virus. Transmission of lassa fever is mainly from rodenttohuman.
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