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Lassa Fever


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Lassa FeverFrançais (French)										Related Pages
										Lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness spread by the common African rat. It is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria. Neighboring countries are also at risk because the animal vector lives throughout the region.
The first documented case occurred in 1969. Lassa fever is named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases occurred.
About 100,000 to 300,000 infections of Lassa fever occur annually, with about 5,000 deaths. Surveillance for Lassa fever varies between locations so these estimates are crude. In some areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia, about 10-16% of people admitted to hospitals annually have Lassa fever. This shows the serious impact the disease has on the region.Photo of Lassa virus sample*The Lassa virus, shown here, causes Lassa fever.*TransmissionSigns and SymptomsRisk of ExposureDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionOutbreak Distribution MapResourcesWhat you need to know about Lassa Fever pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]
Factsheet: Lassa Fever pdf icon[PDF – 3 pages]MoreTraining Videos for Lassa FeverMedical providers—earn continuing education credit:The Epidemiology and Clinical Presentation of Lassa Fever
Diagnose and Treat Lassa Fever
							
					
						Page last reviewed:  April 26, 2022					Content source: 	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP), Viral Special Pathogens Branch (VSPB) homeLassa Fever
Transmission
Signs & Symptoms
Risk of Exposure
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Outbreak Distribution Map
Resourcesplus icon
Training: The Epidemiology and Clinical Presentation of Lassa Fever: Information for Medical Providers
Training: Diagnosing and Treating Lassa Fever: Information for Medical Providers
Travelers: U.S. Cases


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