Lassa Fever, Nigeria, 2005–2008

Ehichioya, Deborah; Haß, Meike; Ölschläger, Stephan; Becker-Ziaja, Beate; Chukwu, Christian O Onyebuchi; Coker, Jide; Nasidi, A.; Ogugua, Osi Ogbu; Günther, Stephan; Omilabu, S.A.

doi:10.3201/eid1606.100080

Cited by 40 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…The disease is endemic in West Africa, with estimates of up to 300,000 persons infected and 5,000 deaths annually across the region and a population at risk numbering in the millions (Figure 1) [2-5]. Lassa virus is maintained in nature in the rodent Mastomys natalensis , commonly known as the “multimammate rat” (Figure 2) [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing equity for health equity: a rights-based approach to the control of Lassa fever in post-war Sierra Leone

Kelly

Barrie

Ross

et al. 2013

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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Poor quality housing is an infringement on the rights of all humans to a standard of living adequate for health. Among the many vulnerabilities of those without adequate shelter is the risk of disease spread by rodents and other pests. One such disease is Lassa fever, an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in West Africa. Lassa virus is maintained in the rodent Mastomys natalensis, commonly known as the “multimammate rat,” which frequently invades the domestic environment, putting humans at risk of Lassa fever. The highest reported incidence of Lassa fever in the world is consistently in the Kenema District of Sierra Leone, a region that was at the center of Sierra Leone’s civil war in which tens of thousands of lives were lost and hundreds of thousands of dwellings destroyed. Despite the end of the war in 2002, most of Kenema’s population still lives in inadequate housing that puts them at risk of rodent invasion and Lassa fever. Furthermore, despite years of health education and village hygiene campaigns, the incidence of Lassa fever in Kenema District appears to be increasing. We focus on Lassa fever as a matter of human rights, proposing a strategy to improve housing quality, and discuss how housing equity has the potential to improve health equity and ultimately economic productivity in Sierra Leone. The manuscript is designed to spur discussion and action towards provision of housing and prevention of disease in one of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing equity for health equity: a rights-based approach to the control of Lassa fever in post-war Sierra Leone

Kelly

Barrie

Ross

et al. 2013

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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“…Among HF-causing arenaviruses, the known distribution of LASV covers the greatest geographical range, being endemic in several West African countries, with outbreaks most frequently observed in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone [15,16,17,18,19,20,21]. Virus isolation or serological evidence of human LASV infection has also been documented in the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Senegal [22,23,24,25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multifunctional Nature of the Arenavirus RING Finger Protein Z

Fehling

Lennartz

Strecker

2012

Viruses

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Arenaviruses are a family of enveloped negative-stranded RNA viruses that can cause severe human disease ranging from encephalitis symptoms to fulminant hemorrhagic fever. The bi‑segmented RNA genome encodes four polypeptides: the nucleoprotein NP, the surface glycoprotein GP, the polymerase L, and the RING finger protein Z. Although it is the smallest arenavirus protein with a length of 90 to 99 amino acids and a molecular weight of approx. 11 kDa, the Z protein has multiple functions in the viral life cycle including (i) regulation of viral RNA synthesis, (ii) orchestration of viral assembly and budding, (iii) interaction with host cell proteins, and (iv) interferon antagonism. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the structural and functional role of the Z protein in the arenavirus replication cycle.

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“…[14] The case of health workers becoming infected is in keeping with the findings in 2005 and 2008 at the Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital (EBSUTH) in Abakaliki where up to eight (8) health care workers were infected either from the hospital environment (nosocomial) or from their homes when they take care and stay with other infected individuals. [15] It is disturbing, that healthcareworkers are still at high risk of contracting and dying from the disease as they were 20 years ago. [16] This has shown the need for continuous reorientation of health workers on high index of suspicious and treating each patient presenting with fever as a case until definitive diagnosis, and also the need for hospitals in endemic areas such as Plateau SMOH to continue to provide health workers with and encourage the use of personal protective equipment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lassa fever: A recurring decimal in Plateau state, Nigeria

Dauda¹,

Olutomi²,

Luret³

2018

Int Jour of Biomed Res

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Background: Since the first reported case of Lassa fever (LF) in Jos, Plateau state Nigeria in the early 70's, the state has been plagued with increasing number of cases. This could be due to poor environmental practices, food and personal hygiene. By the end of August 2017 there were 42 reported cases with 15 confirmed cases. Sadly, over the years there have been challenges with reporting and investigation of cases. This could be due to weak health systems commonly seen in developing countries. Methods and Materials:We reviewed 2012-2016 surveillance data from the State Ministry of Health (SMoH) using Microsoft Excel. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the reported LF cases in the state. Results: Between the years 2012 -2016 there were 109 reported LF cases, with 57 (52.3%) males and 52 (47.7%) females. The mean age of the reported cases was 27.9± 13.6 years. Out of these, 23 (21.1%) were confirmed cases: 1 (4.5%) in 2012, none in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and 21 (91.3%) in 2016.The male: female ratio was10 (43.5%): 13 (56.5%). Six (26.1%) of the confirmed cases were health workers. The case fatality rate of the confirmed cases was 52.2%. Even though there is significant association between LF and death (P-value = 0.003) the odds ratio, 0.215 (95% CI) is low. The reporting years show consistent increasing trend from 2012 to 2016, except for 2015 where there was a decline in the number of reported cases. In 2016 there were 74 (67.9%) cases, 5 (4.6%) in 2015, 15 (13.7%) in 2014, 12 (11.0%) in 2013 and 3 (2.6%) in 2012. Conclusion: Even though reported cases are increasing, there are still gaps observed in the surveillance system of the SMoH. The annual recurrence of LF outbreak in the state without reciprocal preventive efforts on ground to combating it has exposed the populace and health workers to ill-health and death.

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Lassa Fever, Nigeria, 2005–2008

Cited by 40 publications

References 8 publications

Housing equity for health equity: a rights-based approach to the control of Lassa fever in post-war Sierra Leone

Housing equity for health equity: a rights-based approach to the control of Lassa fever in post-war Sierra Leone

Multifunctional Nature of the Arenavirus RING Finger Protein Z

Lassa fever: A recurring decimal in Plateau state, Nigeria

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