Lassa Fever: Symptoms and Treatment

Lassa fever is a hemorrhagic viral illness carried by the Mastomys rat, a specific type of rat commonly found in West Africa. Because it’s a hemorrhagic virus, the illness may cause bleeding. However, about eight out of every 10 people infected with the virus never display any symptoms. Nonetheless, it’s a serious virus that may attack your liver, spleen, or kidneys and is even fatal if left untreated.

Risk Factors for Lassa Fever

Lassa fever has a few factors that may help indicate whether you’re at an increased risk of contracting the virus. These risk factors include the following:

• International travel, especially to endemic regions like West Africa
• Exposure to infected people
• Exposure to Mastomys rats
• Exposure to contaminated household items and food

Causes of Lassa Fever

Humans get Lassa fever when they come into contact with infected Mastomys rats. When infected with the virus, rats excrete the virus into its urine and feces, which then contaminate the surrounding air and water supplies. In fact, one of the most common ways the illness may infect you is when you inhale or consume the feces or urine from infected rats via contaminated air, food, or water. The virus also spreads through open sores and cuts.

The virus may also transfer from person-to-person via tissue, blood, excretions, and secretions. There are even reports of the virus spreading through sexual intercourse.

Symptoms of Lassa Fever

Symptoms associated with Lassa fever normally appear within six to 21 days after the infection sets in. In many cases, symptoms other than low-grade fever, fatigue, and headaches never appear. Because of this, you may have the virus and might not even know it. However, if you have a more serious case of the virus, you may experience the following symptoms:

• Bleeding in your nose, gums, or eyes
• Difficulty breathing
• Swollen airways
• Persistent cough
• Bloody diarrhea
• Vomiting blood
• Difficulty swallowing
• Hepatitis
• Temporary to permanent hearing loss
• Pain in your back, chest, or abdomen
• Shock
• Swollen face
• Low or high blood pressure
• Pericarditis
• Tremors
• Encephalitis
• Seizures
• Meningitis

Lassa fever is also extremely dangerous for pregnant women, and an estimated 95% of pregnant women infected with the virus may spontaneously lose their unborn child.

Diagnosis of Lassa Fever

If you think you may have Lassa fever, contact your healthcare professional. Because symptoms vary from person to person, the virus is often difficult to diagnose, although there are tests available that your doctor may order. It’s important to note that the handling of specimens associated with Lassa fever is hazardous, so only institutions that specialize in handling Lassa fever specimens may conduct the tests necessary to diagnose you.

The most common test used to diagnose Lassa fever uses enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assays (ELISA), which work to detect IgM and IgG antibodies and Lassa antigens.

Treatment of Lassa Fever

If you’re diagnosed with Lassa fever early on, your doctor may prescribe ribavirin, an antiviral drug with a history of fighting the virus. Additionally, your doctor may advise you to stay hydrated to keep your electrolyte levels balanced. Other methods of treatment are often geared towards alleviating symptoms and maintaining your body’s function.

Unfortunately, there are no vaccinations available yet to protect against the virus.

Prognosis of Lassa Fever

Though the mortality rate of Lassa fever is pretty low, it can climb to 50 percent during an outbreak or epidemic. Fortunately, few people infected with the virus actually suffer from symptoms and make a full recovery without even knowing they had the virus in the first place.

Complications of Lassa Fever

If you’re among the few to show Lassa fever symptoms, you may also experience the following complications:

• Deafness, specifically Sensorineural deafness
• Hypotension
• Shock
• Peripheral vasoconstriction
• Anuria
• Hypovolemia
• Death