The virus spreads through the poop and pee of infected rats, while you can also get it from contact with the body fluids of someone who’s infected
The US health officials are investigating the death of an Iowa resident as a suspected case of Lassa fever – a rare, viral hemorrhagic illness you can get from humans or rats infected with the virus. The disease is rarely seen in the US, but the patient returned from West Africa early this month, according to the officials.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the person was not sick while traveling, so the risk of spreading the infection to fellow airline passengers is “extremely low”. The virus spreads through the poop and pee of infected rats, while you can also get it from contact with the body fluids of someone who’s infected.
The suspected patient was isolated, and hospitalized.
According to the officials, the patient has been hospitalized in isolation at the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center while testing has shown that the person is presumptively positive for Lassa fever. Officials say if the results get confirmed, the Iowa case would be the ninth known case of Lassa fever since 1969 in travelers returning to the US from areas where the disease is found.
The CDC says they are helping the Iowa health officials to identify people who had contact with the patient after symptoms began. Those identified as close contacts will be monitored for 21 days. According to the state health officials, the patient had contact with rodents in West Africa, where the disease has been rampant. In rare cases, it can also be transmitted among people through mucous membranes or sexual contact.
What is Lassa fever and its symptoms?
According to experts, Lassa fever is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever - a group of viruses that cause uncontrolled bleeding, which rarely make people extremely unwell. It is common in the African countries of Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone.
Pregnant women are especially at high risk for miscarriage and other serious complications. While 80 per cent of those who have the illness show mild symptoms, the rest become seriously ill. A few of these signs include:
- Fever
- Tiredness and extreme fatigue
- Cough and sore throat
- Headache
- Chest, neck, or stomach pain
- Breathlessness
- Severe vomiting or diarrhoea
- Bleeding from your mouth, nose, or eyes
- Seizures
- Confusion
What are the complications of Lassa fever?
According to experts, even in mild cases, about one in three people with Lassa fever have partial or complete hearing loss, which can either be temporary or permanent. Those with severe Lassa fever can have life-threatening complications, including:
- Pregnancy loss or miscarriage
- Inflammation of the lining around your heart
- Fluid around your lungs
- Infection and inflammation of organs, like your liver
- Low platelets which leads to bleeding
- Sudden kidney failure
- Brain function issues
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Severe blood clotting disorders
- Sepsis
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