Lassa fever patient dies after visiting Liberia

More than seven months after Thomas Eric Duncan, the first case of the Ebola Virus Disease diagnosed in the United States died, a man who has just returned from Liberia has died of Lassa fever in the US.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness with similar symptoms to the EVD. According to the World Health Organisation, the fever usually occurs in West Africa, and is transmitted to human through contact with food or items contaminated with rodents’ urine or faeces.

The deceased, whose name and nationality has yet to be made public by the US authorities, was said to have arrived the US from Liberia on May 17.

According to the Director, US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Tom Frieden, the man, who checked into two hospitals, developed multiple organ failure hours after his arrival and eventually died in New Jersey on Monday.

While Frieden said Lassa fever could not be contracted by casual contact and is not as fatal as the EVD, he admitted that officials were already tracking and monitoring people who came in contact with the deceased.

“We expect to see Lassa fever and other infections, like this. Because of Ebola, we’re now better prepared to deal with it,” said Frieden.

The WHO says the case fatality of Lassa fever is about one per cent, although 80 per cent of patients do not show symptoms. The last outbreak of the fever in Nigeria occurred in 2012 when 623 suspected cases and 70 deaths in 19 states were recorded.

Speaking to our correspondent on Monday, an Infectious Disease Specialist and President, Ropheka Health Foundation, Dr. Joseph Onigbinde, however, expressed fears that the culture of vigilance witnessed during the outbreak of the EVD was fast receding. He therefore urged all stakeholders to be vigilant and maintain a high level of personal hygiene.

“Ebola and Lassa fever are cousins and it is unfortunate that the community cultivation we had during the Ebola outbreak is no longer there. It was God who saved us during the Ebola outbreak and not because we did anything right.

“I recall that it was a polio tent donated by the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation that was converted into a holding centre. Everyone has let down their guards and this is dangerous. We need to be careful and continue to man our borders. Proper personal hygiene procedure should also be observed at all times,” he said.