Health Authorities Confirm 22 Deaths in Latest Outbreak of Lassa Fever
Category: Health and Medical
Severity: 2 (Low)
Source: Drum Cussac
05/18/2018 (Liberia) - According to international news sources on Friday, 18 May, there have been 22 confirmed deaths following the latest outbreak of Lassa fever which began in January. In a statement, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), said that they had seen an increase in the outbreak with 81 suspected cases recorded so far. The outbreak has so far been confined to four of the country's 15 counties, Bong, Margibi, Nimba and Montserrado. The Health authorities have said that the high death rate could be attributed to people who were already sick going to health facilities for examination and encouraged people to seek medical treatment as soon as they suspected they had been infected.
Lassa fever is transmitted by rats and other rodents, typically through exposure to urine or faeces of the carrier animal, but can also be transmitted from person-to-person in densely populated areas with poor sanitary conditions. Symptoms of the disease, which has an incubation period of up to 21 days, include fever, sore throat, muscle aches, cough, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. While the risk of infection to most travellers is low unless they have had direct contact with patients infected with the virus, they are nonetheless advised to take additional precautions for health, hygiene and sanitation. If displaying any of the aforementioned symptoms, medical attention should be sought immediately.
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