Lassa fever causes concern in the UK: All you need to know about the acute viral illness

With the world yet to conquer the specter of coronavirus, a new virus may prove to be a cause of concern. Health officials confirmed that Lassa fever has claimed one life in the United Kingdom on 11 February while announcing the first three cases of the disease in the country since 2009. All three patients were from the same family in eastern England and had travelled to west Africa recently. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, about 80 per cent of the cases are asymptomatic and remain undiagnosed. Even though the death rate in the disease is low at around one per cent, it may be higher for certain individuals including pregnant women in their third trimester. Let’s take a look at the disease, where it came from and its symptoms: What is Lassa fever? Lassa fever is caused by a virus of the same name, which was first discovered in a town named Lassa in Nigeria in 1969. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Pollution (CDC), lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness. The fever is usually spread by rats and is primarily found in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria. An estimated 100,000 to 300,000 infections of Lassa fever occur annually, with approximately 5,000 deaths, the CDC notes. Infection can spread through contact with household items of food that is contaminated with the urine or feces of an infected rat. Even though rare, the virus can also spread if a person comes in contact with a sick person’s infected bodily fluids or through mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose or the mouth. What are its symptoms? Signs and symptoms of Lassa fever typically occur 1 to 3 weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus. For the majority of Lassa fever virus infections, approximately 80 per cent, symptoms are mild and are undiagnosed. Mild symptoms include slight fever, fatigue, weakness and headache. In 20 per cent of the infected individuals, however, disease may progress to more serious symptoms including bleeding in gums, eyes, or nose, respiratory distress, repeated vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back, and abdomen, and shock. As per the CDC, the fever’s most common complication is deafness. In many such cases, the hearing loss can be permanent. Death may occur within two weeks after symptom onset due to multi-organ failure. How deadly is it? According to the CDC, approximately 15-20 per cent of patients hospitalised for Lassa fever die from the illness. However, only one per cent of all Lassa virus infections result in death. The death rates for women in the third trimester of pregnancy are particularly high. Spontaneous abortion is a serious complication of infection with an estimated 95 per cent mortality in fetuses of infected pregnant mothers. How can the infection be prevented? The CDC advises to avoid contact with rats by keeping food in rodent-proof containers and keeping general hygiene in the home to discourage rats from entering homes. Laying down rat traps and educating people in high-risk areas about ways to decrease rodent populations in their homes can aid in the control and prevention of Lassa fever. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.