What’s Lassa fever and what are the signs after UK case

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A viral sickness referred to as Lassa fever that may trigger Ebola-like signs has been confirmed in an individual who just lately travelled to England from Nigeria.

Officers are actually checking for any potential circumstances of the virus and are working to trace people who could have been involved with the contaminated particular person throughout their time in England.

There have been only a few circumstances of Lassa fever ever detected within the UK – with the final circumstances recorded in 2022.

Lassa fever is extra widespread in Nigeria and several other different nations on the west coast of Africa, together with Liberia and Guinea.

How does Lasser fever unfold?

Lassa fever is carried by a selected kind of rodent, referred to as the Mastomys.

The rat-borne virus is normally contracted by people via meals and water.

It doesn’t unfold simply between individuals and the general danger to the UK inhabitants stays “very low”, Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA) stated.

Nonetheless, it may be transferred via blood, saliva, urine or semen.

UK officers haven’t confirmed how lengthy the contaminated particular person remained in England or which a part of the nation they visited.

What are the signs?

Lassa fever causes acute infections which might vary from very delicate signs via to a extreme viral haemorrhagic fever.

The virus, which might set off seizures and make ladies bleed from their vagina, additionally causes problem respiratory, vomiting, facial swelling, ache within the chest, again and abdomen.

Nonetheless, most individuals with Lassa fever expertise delicate signs, corresponding to fever, tiredness, complications, a sore throat and generalised ache.

Signs normally happen between one and three weeks after contracting the virus. However within the majority of circumstances (80 per cent) individuals who contract the virus expertise no signs in any respect, in response to the World Well being Group (WHO).

Though most individuals do make a full restoration the virus could cause extra extreme sickness and even be deadly.

Out of these recovering, a couple of quarter have listening to loss, which improves inside three months in about half of those circumstances.

Pregnant ladies particularly are susceptible to getting significantly in poor health. Catching the virus within the third trimester of being pregnant can enhance the danger of stillbirth and miscarriages and even a better probability of demise for pregnant ladies.

When was it final detected within the UK?

Lassa fever was final detected within the UK in 2022 when a new child child died in Bedfordshire, at Luton Dunstable Hospital.

The kid was the third member of the household to contract the virus after they returned to the UK from west Africa.

These three circumstances have been the primary recorded within the UK since 2009.