Iowa Resident Dies from Lassa Fever: Health Officials Urgently Seek Close Contacts

Iowa Resident Dies from Lassa Fever: Health Officials Urgently Seek Close Contacts

An Iowa resident has passed away from Lassa fever, a rare viral infection similar to Ebola, likely contracted during a recent trip to West Africa. This case marks the ninth reported instance of Lassa fever in the United States over the past 50 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Lassa fever, a disease primarily transmitted through contact with the waste of infected rodents, is endemic to West Africa. Health officials confirmed that the individual, a middle-aged resident of eastern Iowa, returned from West Africa in early October. After showing symptoms and testing presumptively positive, the patient was treated in isolation at the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center, where they passed away on Monday.

Lassa fever presents symptoms similar to those of Ebola, including hemorrhagic fever, though it is generally less fatal. State and federal health officials emphasize that the risk of transmission within the U.S. remains low. Dr. Robert Kruse, Iowa’s state medical director, noted in a public statement that officials are continuing to investigate the case and are implementing essential health protocols.

Typically, Lassa fever is spread by the West African multimammate rat, the sole known carrier of the virus, found in countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria. Human-to-human transmission is possible through direct contact with an infected person’s blood or bodily fluids during active infection. The CDC noted that preliminary findings indicate the patient may have encountered rodents during their travels. Health authorities are currently identifying and monitoring anyone who came into close contact with the individual.

The CDC advises that close contacts be monitored for up to three weeks, as the incubation period for Lassa fever ranges from 2 to 21 days. Before this latest case, only eight people in the U.S. had been diagnosed with Lassa fever after traveling from areas where the virus is prevalent. In West Africa, Lassa fever affects 100,000 to 300,000 people annually, resulting in around 5,000 deaths, as reported by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, most infected individuals experience only mild symptoms or remain asymptomatic.

Understanding the Symptoms of Lassa Fever

Symptoms of Lassa fever develop gradually and include fever, weakness, and general malaise. As the disease progresses, patients may experience headaches, sore throats, muscle and chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, and abdominal pain. In severe cases, patients may suffer from facial swelling, fluid in the lungs, bleeding from mucous membranes, and low blood pressure. About 25% of those who survive Lassa fever experience temporary deafness, though most recover their hearing within a few months. Death typically occurs within two weeks for severe cases.

The first cases of Lassa fever in the U.S. were identified in 1969, and the illness takes its name from the Nigerian town where two missionary nurses first died from the virus. The disease tends to spike during the dry season, from December to April, coinciding with the breeding cycle of the multimammate rat in the wet season, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).