Overview
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa, caused by the Lassa virus and transmitted primarily through contact with urine or feces of infected rodents or person-to-person contact. Nigeria experienced a significant outbreak from January to April 2019, with 554 confirmed cases and 124 deaths reported across 21 states 1.Diagnosis
Laboratory confirmation through RT-PCR, antigen detection, or serological tests 1.
Clinical presentation includes fever, malaise, myalgia, and gastrointestinal symptoms, often requiring differentiation from other febrile illnesses 1.Management
First-line treatment: Ribavirin is recommended for severe cases; dose typically 5 mg/kg every 6 hours for 4 days (or until clinical improvement) 1.
Supportive care: Includes maintenance of fluid balance, electrolyte correction, and management of complications such as shock and hemorrhage 1.Special Populations
Pregnancy: Specific management guidelines are not detailed in the provided abstracts 1.
Pediatrics: No specific pediatric management details provided in the abstracts 1.
Elderly and comorbidities: Management focuses on supportive care with ribavirin for severe cases, but tailored approaches for these groups are not explicitly outlined 1.Key Recommendations
Implement emergency thresholds and guidelines for case management to control outbreaks (Evidence: Expert opinion) 1.
Use ribavirin for severe Lassa fever cases at a dose of 5 mg/kg every 6 hours for 4 days (Evidence: Expert opinion) 1.
Establish robust surveillance and public health emergency declarations to facilitate timely outbreak response (Evidence: Expert opinion) 1.References
1 Dan-Nwafor CC, Furuse Y, Ilori EA, Ipadeola O, Akabike KO, Ahumibe A et al.. Measures to control protracted large Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, 1 January to 28 April 2019. Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin 2019. link