Treatment FAQ

what is some medical treatment for lassa fever

by Carmine Brekke Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, has been used with success in Lassa fever patients. It has been shown to be most effective when given early in the course of the illness.Mar 25, 2014

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1. Get Some Rest...

2. Sponge Your Body...

3. Keep Your Fluid Intake in Check...

4. Check Your Environment...

5. Wear Light, Airy Clothes...

6. Prevent the Spread of Infection...

7. Avoid Smoking...

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Which medications are used to treat Lassa fever?

Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, has been used with success in Lassa fever patients. It has been shown to be most effective when given early in the course of the illness.

How can Lassa fever be prevented?

Further, educating people in high-risk areas about ways to decrease rodent populations in their homes will aid in the control and prevention of Lassa fever. Other challenges include developing more rapid diagnostic tests and increasing the availability of the only known drug treatment, ribavirin.

What is considered a fever for Lassa fever?

Top Lassa Fever Related Articles Aches, Pain, Fever Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 F (37 C), in practice, a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 F (38 C).

How is Lassa fever (LLF) diagnosed?

Lassa fever is most often diagnosed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assays (ELISA), which detect IgM and IgG antibodies as well as Lassa antigen. Reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) can be used in the early stage of disease.

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What are the treatment options for the Lassa virus?

Intravenous (IV) ribavirin is the most effective treatment for an acute infection. Post-exposure prophylaxis with oral ribavirin is recommended. There is not sufficient evidence to recommended convalescent plasma for the treatment of Lassa fever.

Is there a cure for Lassa fever?

Lassa fever causes an approximate 5000 to 10,000 deaths annually in West Africa and cases have been imported into Europe and the Americas, challenging public health. Although Lassa virus was first described over 5 decades ago in 1969, no treatments or vaccines have been approved to treat or prevent infection.

What are the early signs and symptoms of Lassa fever?

The signs and symptoms of Lassa Fever is usually gradual. It starts with fever general weakness, and malaise. After a few days, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and abdominal pain may follow.

What are the prevention of Lassa fever?

Primary transmission of the Lassa virus from its host to humans can be prevented by avoiding contact with Mastomys rodents, especially in the geographic regions where outbreaks occur. Putting food away in rodent-proof containers and keeping the home clean help to discourage rodents from entering homes.

Is there vaccine for Lassa fever?

Currently, there is no licensed vaccine for Lassa fever, although numerous candidates are in the development pipeline.

How long does it take to recover from Lassa fever?

Lassa fever is an illness caused by Lassa virus, a single-stranded RNA hemorrhagic fever virus from the family Arenaviridae. It is an acute febrile viral illness lasting one to four weeks, and it occurs in West Africa and some areas beyond.

Do people survive Lassa fever?

Early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival. About 80% of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms.

How long does Lassa fever virus survive outside the body?

SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: The virus is stable as an aerosol, particularly at low relative humidity (30 % RH ). The biological half-live at both 24°C and 32°C ranges from 10.1 to 54.6 minutes 20.

How long does it take for symptoms of Lassa fever to show?

Signs and symptoms of Lassa fever typically occur 1-3 weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus. For the majority of Lassa fever virus infections (approximately 80%), symptoms are mild and are undiagnosed. Mild symptoms include slight fever, general malaise and weakness, and headache.

What are the 3 levels of prevention?

Primary Prevention—intervening before health effects occur, through.Secondary Prevention—screening to identify diseases in the earliest.Tertiary Prevention—managing disease post diagnosis to slow or stop.

Can Lassa fever be passed from human to human?

Casual contact (including skin-to-skin contact without exchange of body fluids) does not spread Lassa virus. Person-to-person transmission is common in health care settings (called nosocomial transmission) where proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is not available or not used.

How to diagnose Lassa fever?

Lassa fever is generally diagnosed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assays (ELISA). These detect IgM and IgG antibodies and Lassa antigens. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) can also be used in the early stages of the disease.

What is Lassa fever?

Lassa fever is an acute, viral disease carried by a type of rat that is common in West Africa. It can be life-threatening. It is a hemorrhagic virus, which means it can cause bleeding, although 8 out of every 10 people. Trusted Source.

How many people die from Lassa fever in West Africa?

The disease is endemic to a number of West African countries. Rough estimates suggest there are between 100,000 and 300,000 cases. of Lassa fever each year in West Africa, and approximately 5,000 deaths due to the disease.

What is the most common complication of Lassa fever?

One of the most common complications of Lassa fever is hearing loss, which occurs in around 1 in 3. Trusted Source. infections. This hearing loss varies in degree and is not necessarily related to the severity of the symptoms. Deafness caused by Lassa fever can be permanent and total.

Where did Lassa fever originate?

Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease. It can be serious. Lassa fever was first discovered in Nigeria, when two missionary nurses became ill with the virus in 1969. Its name is derived from the village of Lassa, where it was first documented.

Is Lassa fever a hemorrhagic fever?

The symptoms of Lassa fever vary widely, and diagnosis can be difficult. Clinically, the disease can resemble other viral hemorrhagic fevers, including the Ebola virus, malaria, and typ hoid. for Lassa fever are laboratory-based, and the handling of specimens can be hazardous.

Is Lassa fever fatal?

In the remaining 20 percent of cases, Lassa fever becomes serious. of all cases, Lassa fever is fatal, and around 15 to 20 percent of all hospitalizations for the disease will end in death.

How to diagnose Lassa fever?

How do physicians diagnose Lassa fever? 1 Laboratory tests include enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assays ( ELISA) for Lassa IgM and IgG antibodies and Lassa antigen. For definitive testing, virus can be grown in culture in seven to 10 days; reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) assay is also available but often limited to research. 2 Immunohistochemistry stains performed on tissue specimens can also be used to make a postmortem diagnosis.

What is Lassa fever?

Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fevers and may appear with signs and symptoms like Ebola or Marburg hemorrhagic fever viruses, and until these viruses are ruled out, suspected cases must be managed with infection control precautions to prevent contact with blood, body fluids, and contaminated surfaces.

How does Lassa fever spread?

It is spread to people through contact with household items, food, water, or air contaminated with the droppings or urine of infected multimammate rats ( Mastomyces natalensis ).

How many people die from Lassa fever in a year?

There are 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever each year in the world. Lassa fever heavily impacts Sierra Leone and Liberia in particular, where it causes an estimated 5,000 deaths and about 10%-16% of admissions to hospitals each year. Deaths are especially common in children.

Why do people with Lassa fever have no symptoms?

Because most Lassa fever viral infections cause no symptoms, and because people with acute deafness have been shown to have high antibody levels to Lassa virus, suggesting recent infection, Lassa fever virus is believed to be a common cause of sudden deafness in affected areas.

How long does it take for a Lassa fever to show symptoms?

The incubation period for Lassa fever is variable, from six days to three weeks. Most people have mild or no symptoms. British researchers suggest the incubation period varies from seven to 10 days and in some people, up to about 21 days.

How is Lassa transmitted?

Lassa virus is typically transmitted by the urine or feces of Mastomys rats to humans . Health workers may be infected by direct contact with blood, body fluids, urine, or stool of a patient with Lassa fever. Lassa fever occurs primarily in West Africa in areas where these rodents live.

How to detect Lassa fever?

Lassa fever is most often diagnosed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assays (ELISA), which detect IgM and IgG antibodies as well as Lassa antigen. Reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) can be used in the early stage of disease. The virus itself may be cultured in 7 to 10 days, but this procedure should only be done in a high containment laboratory with good laboratory practices. Immunohistochemistry, performed on formalin-fixed tissue specimens, can be used to make a postmortem diagnosis.

How to prevent Lassa virus from humans?

Primary transmission of the Lassa virus from its host to humans can be prevented by avoiding contact with Mastomys rodents, especially in the geographic regions where outbreaks occur. Putting food away in rodent-proof containers and keeping the home clean help to discourage rodents from entering homes. Using these rodents as a food source is not recommended. Trapping in and around homes can help reduce rodent populations; however, the wide distribution of Mastomys in Africa makes complete control of this rodent reservoir impractical.

What is the reservoir of Lassa virus?

The reservoir, or host, of Lassa virus is a rodent known as the "multimammate rat" ( Mastomys natalensis ). Once infected, this rodent is able to excrete virus in urine for an extended time period, maybe for the rest of its life. Mastomys rodents breed frequently, produce large numbers of offspring, and are numerous in the savannas and forests of west, central, and east Africa. In addition, Mastomys readily colonize human homes and areas where food is stored. All of these factors contribute to the relatively efficient spread of Lassa virus from infected rodents to humans.

How long does it take for Lassa fever to show?

Signs and symptoms of Lassa fever typically occur 1-3 weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus. For the majority of Lassa fever virus infections (approximately 80%), symptoms are mild and are undiagnosed. Mild symptoms include slight fever, general malaise and weakness, and headache. In 20% of infected individuals, however, disease may progress to more serious symptoms including hemorrhaging (in gums, eyes, or nose, as examples), respiratory distress, repeated vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back, and abdomen, and shock. Neurological problems have also been described, including hearing loss, tremors, and encephalitis. Death may occur within two weeks after symptom onset due to multi-organ failure.

Where does Lassa fever occur?

Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in west Africa. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died in Nigeria. The virus is named after the town in Nigeria where the first cases occurred. The virus, a member of the virus family Arenaviridae, is a single-stranded RNA virus and is zoonotic, or animal-borne.

Is ribavirin good for lassa fever?

Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, has been used with success in Lassa fever patients. It has been shown to be most effective when given early in the course of the illness. Patients should also receive supportive care consisting of maintenance of appropriate fluid and electrolyte balance, oxygenation and blood pressure, as well as treatment of any other complicating infections.

What is Lassa Fever?

As per CDC, Lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness. It is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria. In 1969, it was first discovered in Lassa, Nigeria. The disease was discovered after two nurses died in Nigeria. Lassa fever is spread by rats.

How is it transmitted?

Lassa virus transmission to occurs to humans mainly through ingestion or inhalation. The infection occurs when Mastomys rodents shed the virus in urine, droppings, and through direct contact with these materials, via touching soiled objects, eating contaminated food, or exposure to open cuts.

When do Symptoms appear?

Usually, people don't become contagious before symptoms appear and cannot transmit the infection via casual contact like hugging, shaking hands, or sitting near someone who is infected. Mainly, symptoms appear in one to three weeks after exposure.

Lassa Fever: Treatment

As per CDC, Ribavirin which is an antifungal drug has been used in Lassa fever patients. If it is given early, it will be effective in the course of illness. With the treatment, the patient should take some supportive care including appropriate fluid, electrolyte balance, oxygenation, etc. Also, treatment of any other complicating infections.

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