The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday that the federal health officials have identified 150 people who may have come in contact with a man who died of Lassa fever after travelling from Liberia. Is Lassa fever the new Ebola?
Lassa fever is a type of viral disease that came from West Africa. However, it is rarely seen in the United States. In history, this is only the sixth known case of Lassa fever in a traveler who came back to the United States since 1969, reports WebMD.
Apparently, the last known case of the said disease happened in 2014 in Minnesota. CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes said in a statement as reported by Fox News, those people who came in contact with the man face no danger. However, as abundance of precaution all the individuals are being monitored especially the six people with the highest risk of transmission.
The unnamed man travelled from West Africa and after he arrived in New York Kennedy Airport on May 17, he died on Monday. Now, eight people out of the 150 are being monitored because they were with the man aboard the plane.
Though the man did not have symptoms while on his flight back home, he developed sore throat and became weak days after his flight. When he went to the hospital, the staff triaged him and decided to transfer him to the University Hospital Newark for further evaluation.
After series of tests, it was revealed that the man had Lassa fever but was Ebola-free. He was kept in isolation but after a few days, the 55-year old man succumbed to the infection. The CDC is continuing their probe on identifying all possible contacts of the man even those health care practitioners who attended to him.
CDC added that each year in West Africa, around 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever are reported wherein about 5,000 died from the disease. According to the World Health Organization through the Infection Control Today site, the incubation period of Lassa fever lasts from six to 21 days. Its symptoms include with fever, general weakness, and malaise. After a few days, it may develop diarrhea, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In severe cases it could lead to shock, tremor, seizures and coma.
However, CDC officials say that the said disease is less dangerous and deadly than Ebola. It is less likely to be the next Ebola fever.
