There is currently an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria, which is expanding in some other countries of the continent. This is generated by a virus of the same name and there is no vaccine to treat it.
Daniel Salas, Head of Health Surveillance of the Ministry of Health, explained that it is an outbreak on the African continent and because of the way it is transmitted there is very little chance of it reaching America. However, people traveling to that place should know about the danger, the form of transmission and the prevention measures.
The virus is transmitted through the faeces of rodents. It’s a disease in which there is always an animal involved in the transmission cycle, but it can also be transmitted from person to person through direct contact, for example, from skin wounds and contaminated blood.
Until February 25th, the outbreak in Nigeria registered 1,081 suspected cases and 317 confirmed cases. It has a mortality rate of 22%.
According to Dr. Salas, once you have contact with the virus, it can take up to 3 weeks for the symptoms to manifest.
The onset is gradual and there is fever, rash on the skin, especially in people with light skin. In about 30% of all cases there may be hemorrhage, but it varies from person to person […] The death rate is higher for pregnant women, especially in the third trimester, and fetal mortality rate is higher, almost 90%,”
explained Salas.
In addition, people who suffer from the disease and survive may have some later complications, for example, in the heart or deafness problems.
What is always recommended is the timely detection, hydration, and use of an antiviral that is effective in early stages. Right now, especially due to the form of transmission, the risk is high for the countries that are in the geographical block of Nigeria,”
explained Salas.