Treatment+&+Response+-+Lassa+Fever

As of now Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, is the only know and effective drug for treating Lassa Fever. The drug is effective because blocks viral replication by stopping RNA-dependent nucleic acid synthesis. However, this antiviral treatment is only effective when used in the early stages of infection and because Lassa is somewhat hard to diagnose early on the treatment is not always effective. While a patient is on Ribavirin they must also be in isolation and their fluid levels must be constantly monitored. The treatement of a patient can become much more costly and time intensive because of necessary liquid replacement, blood transfusions, and hypotension treatment. There is currently no vaccine, however military scientists are working on a vaccine that is showing promise with test monkeys.

Sierra Leone does not have an extremely effective response team or plan when there is an outbreak of the virus. There are many global organizations who help when there are outbreaks, and the government is working towards having something similar to Nigeria's Lassa Fever Response Committee. The biggest thing that can be done for limiting outbreaks is education on prevention, especially on how to deal with rodents since they are the primary vector of Lassa Virus.

LickingLassaFever.org

Sources http://www.melrosechem.com/english/publicat/general/contagious%20diseases.pdf http://allafrica.com/stories/201202240506.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lassaf.htm http://licking-lassa-fever.org.uk/