Explainer: Patient dies due to Lassa fever in UK: What are the symptoms & how can it be prevented?

A person suffering from Lassa fever died in Britain, UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

UKHSA said there were three cases identified in the UK which were linked to travel to West Africa. Reports say it is the first case of the disease reported in the UK for over a decade.

The patient died in UK's Luton and Dunstable hospital.

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What is Lassa fever?

According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus. The virus belongs to arenavirus family of viruses.

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The UN health body says humans get infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats.

Where is it found?

Lassa fever is known to be largely found in Africa. It is mainly found in Togo, Nigeria, Mali, Sierra Leone Benin, Ghana and Guinea.

How do humans get infected?

According to the UN, person-to-person infection including laboratory transmission can infect a person especially in areas where there is a lack of adequate infection prevention measures. Quick diagnosis is essential to combat the fewer in the early stages.

What is the death rate among humans?

The case fatality among humans is reportedly at 1 per cent. However, the UN body says those infected with severe cases of Lassa fever the fatality rate could be around 15 per cent.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms occur gradually with fever, weakness and after a few days, a person suffers from headache, sore throat, chest pain and muscle pain. A person may also vomit and suffer from cough, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

In severe cases, a patient suffers from bleeding from the mouth, low blood pressure, fluid in the lung with shock, tremor and disorientation witnessedin the later stages of the disease.

WHO says Lassa fever is difficult to distinguish from Ebola, malaria, shigellosis, typhoid fever and yellow fever.

Is there a vaccine for Lassa fever?

Currently, there is no licensed vaccine for the disease although several are in development stages. Antiviral drug ribavirin has been used in several countries as a therapeutic agent. However, the WHO has cautioned that there is no evidence to suggest that ribavirin can treat Lassa fever.

How canLassa feverbe prevented?

Good community health guidelines should be followed to discourage rodents from entering the house with effective measures to be undertaken for rodent-proof containers and disposing of garbage far away from the home.

(With inputs from Agencies)