Lassa Fever
什么是Lassa Fever？
Lassa fever is a serious viral infection that lasts 1-4 weeks. About 80 percent of the cases are mild or with no symptoms at all. However, the other 20 percent may suffer severe failure of multiple organs. The disease is more severe in pregnancy, and maternal death is common. The overall death rate is about 1 percent, but in severe cases, it can be 15 percent. Lassa fever is associated with epidemics, during which up to 50 percent of the patients might die.
It is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 people in west Africa are infected each year with approximately 5,000 deaths.
如何获得Lassa Fever？
Wild rodents in western Africa are the source of this virus, and people become infected through direct contact with contaminated rat droppings or urine, or contact with objects or eating food contaminated with rat droppings and urine. People may also inhale tiny particles of air contaminated with rodent excretions (airborne transmission).
Lassa fever may also spread from person to person through contact with infected blood, tissues, secretions, or excretions. This kind of transmission is common in health care settings where it can also be spread by contaminated medical equipment.
易感性和抗性
Susceptibility is general. The length of duration of immunity after surviving an infection is unknown.
症状是什么？
The symptoms include a gradual onset of fatigue, fever, headache, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle aches and chest pain. The fever is intermittent and often spikes to high levels. In severe cases, complications can include loss of blood pressure, haemorrhaging, seizures, and brain inflammation due to different organs being affected.
预防措施
避免与携带这种疾病的啮齿动物接触是预防的最佳形式。保护食物来源并保持清洁的环境阻止啮齿动物进入家中。在医院环境中，预防措施包括穿防护服，例如口罩，手套，睡袍和护目镜，并采取感染控制措施。
处理
Early treatment (within the first 6 days of illness) with the anti-viral drug, Ribavirin, is the most effective therapy available.
药物
它常见于哪里？
拉沙热在尼日利亚、几内亚、利比里亚和塞拉利昂随处可见。它可能存在于西非的其他国家。
