Lassa+Fever

Lassa Fever is an acute, viral hemorrhagic fever and is caused by the Lassa Virus.

The virus was first discovered in Lassa, Nigeria near Lake Chad. The disease is endemic to West Africa and is transmitted zoonotically from rats to humans through their urine and feces. Humans come into contact with the disease when the Lassa viris carrying rodent infiltrate grain stores and residences or when in contact with another infected and contagious human. "The symptoms of the virus cannot be seen in about 80% of infected patients leaving the other 20% with very severe multisystem disease." (CDC).

In Sierra Leone, ReliefWeb.int says of the virus that "between December 1996 and April 1997, over 500 severe Lassa Fever cases were admitted to the Kenema Government Hospital during the largest epidemic ever recorded since the discovery of the disease in 1972. Up to 40% of all hospital admissions in Kenema district during this four-month period were due to Lassa Fever."

This epidemic stuck during the Sierra Leone Civil War that spanned 1991 and 2002. During that time, one physician, Aniru Conteh was "the only clinician in Sierra Leone who had the skills and qualifications to manage patients with Lassa fever" (Wikipedia). During the epidemic and the war he pioneered response procedures for Lassa fever, coordinated with international organizations, and created awareness in the region. This lack of awareness, procedure, and coordination allowed the Lassa to take hold in the region.

In Sierra Leone there is 8–52% prevalence and 10–16% mortality. Of the people who are infected, 20% develop serious cases.

Together, the virulency of the disease and the unpreparedness of the war-torn country together created conditions that enabled the virus to become endemic to Sierra Leone.



Other Sections
Structure - Lassa Fever Transmission - Lassa Fever Symptoms & Disease Progression - Lassa Fever Pathogenesis - Lassa Fever Treatment & Response - Lassa Fever Contributing Factors - Lassa Fever

Sources for this section
http://reliefweb.int/node/101008 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lassaf.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniru_Conteh http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/arena/2005/LassaFeverVirus.htm