The challenges of detecting and responding to a Lassa fever outbreak in an Ebola-affected setting

Hamblion, Esther; Raftery, Philomena; Wendland, Annika; Dweh, Emmanuel; Williams, George S.B.; George, Ross; Soro, Luis; Katawera, Victoria; Clement, Peter; Gasasira, Alex; Musa, Emmanuel; Nagbe, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2017.11.007

Cited by 39 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…All LASV deaths have been recorded only in West Africa including Nigeria, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (Fig 6) [34,37,47,53,65,70,120,123]. Only the case fatality rate category in LASV suspected cases fulfilled the conditions for subgroup analyses (at least 3 studies divided into two or more categories).…”

Section: Subgroup Analysis and Metaregressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology of Lassa virus in humans, rodents and other mammals in sub-Saharan Africa

et al. 2020

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Accurate data on the Lassa virus (LASV) human case fatality rate (CFR) and the prevalence of LASV in humans, rodents and other mammals are needed for better planning of actions that will ultimately reduce the burden of LASV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. In this systematic review with meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Africa Journal Online, and African Index Medicus from 1969 to 2020 to obtain studies that reported enough data to calculate LASV infection CFR or prevalence. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were conducted independently. We extracted all measures of current, recent, and past infections with LASV. Prevalence and CFR estimates were pooled using a random-effect meta-analysis. Factors associated with CFR, prevalence, and sources of between-study heterogeneity were determined using subgroup and metaregression analyses. This review was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020166465. We initially identified 1,399 records and finally retained 109 reports that contributed to 291 prevalence records from 25 countries. The overall CFR was 29.7% (22.3-37.5) in humans. Pooled prevalence of LASV infection was 8.7% (95% confidence interval: 6.8-10.8) in humans, 3.2% (1.9-4.6) in rodents, and 0.7% (0.0-2.3) in other mammals. Subgroup and metaregression analyses revealed a substantial statistical heterogeneity explained by higher prevalence in tissue organs, in case-control, in hospital outbreak, and surveys, in retrospective studies, in urban and hospital setting, in hospitalized patients, and in West African countries.

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Section: Subgroup Analysis and Metaregressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology of Lassa virus in humans, rodents and other mammals in sub-Saharan Africa

et al. 2020

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“…The majority of patients who become infected with LASV are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms such as fever, weakness and malaise, which often go unreported 3 4. For those who do seek care, these symptoms mimic other endemic diseases like malaria, typhoid fever and other viral haemorrhagic fevers, resulting in misdiagnosis or missed cases of LASV 5…”

Section: Challenges In Lasv Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnostic applications for Lassa fever in limited-resource settings

et al. 2019

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Lassa fever, caused by arenavirus Lassa virus (LASV), is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease that affects up to an estimated 300 000 individuals and causes up to 5000 deaths per year in West Africa. Currently available LASV diagnostic methods are difficult to operationalise in low-resource health centres and may be less sensitive to detecting all known or emerging LASV strains. To prioritise diagnostic development for LASV, we assessed the diagnostic applications for case detection, clinical management, surveillance, outbreak response, and therapeutic and vaccine development at various healthcare levels. Diagnostic development should prioritise point-of-care and near-patient diagnostics, especially those with the ability to detect all lineages of LASV, as they would allow for rapid detection in resource-limited health facilities closer to the patient.

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“…Similarly, studies conducted in Ebhodiza, South-west Nigeria point to the poor practice of rat prevention measures within home settings as a risk factor for LF infection [17]. A similar study conducted in Liberia corroborates the association between LF and poor waste disposal, accessibility of food preparation areas to rodents, and absence of rodent-proof containers for food storage [18].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Risk Factors for Lassa Fever Infection Among Survivours at Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

Ilesanmi

Owoeye-Lawal

Aro

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundThere exists paucity of information regarding successfully managed Lassa Fever (LF) patients. This study is aimed at determining the perceived risk factors for LF infection among patients who had been managed and on follow up at Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State. MethodsA cross sectional study of 101 LF survivors who had been managed and attending follow up clinic at Federal Medical Centre, Owo was done. Data were collected using semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Respondents were assessed for symptoms and factors that may have predisposed them to LF, and data analyzed with SPSS version 23. Those who had more than three identifiable risks were categorised as high risk. Descriptive statistics was done, and association between socio-demographic characteristics and high risk were explored using chi square test. ResultsThe median age of respondents was 33 years (range 8-85 years), 61.4% were males, 92.1% have heard of LF prior to being diagnosed, 55.9% heard through the mass media. The perceived cause of Lassa fever infection among respondents included consumption of food contaminated by rats’ feces among 57(56.4%) persons, while 16 (15.8) attributed their infection to contact with LF-infected persons. Among respondents with primary education and below, 5 (29.4%) had high risk of Lassa fever infection compared to 7 (8.3%) with secondary education and above (p=0.014). ConclusionMass media and other sources of information should be well harnessed in the communication of risks and preventive practices for LF. Health education should be intensified both in hospitals and schools to capture both young and old in LF prevention activities.

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The challenges of detecting and responding to a Lassa fever outbreak in an Ebola-affected setting

Cited by 39 publications

References 21 publications

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology of Lassa virus in humans, rodents and other mammals in sub-Saharan Africa

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology of Lassa virus in humans, rodents and other mammals in sub-Saharan Africa

Diagnostic applications for Lassa fever in limited-resource settings

Risk Factors for Lassa Fever Infection Among Survivours at Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

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