Not now, Lassa fever! England records two cases of Ebola-like virus that can cause vaginal bleeding and comas among family returning from West Africa
- Third relative suspected of having the disease but is awaiting confirmatory tests
- All three are members of the same family from the East of England, officials said
- Two new cases are among only 10 ever spotted in the UK — and first since 2009
By CONNOR BOYD DEPUTY HEALTH EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:36 EST, 9 February 2022 | UPDATED: 02:19 EST, 10 February 2022
Two cases of Lassa fever have been detected in Britain among people who recently returned from West Africa.
Health officials revealed the infected patients are members of the same family, who live in the East of England.
They are among only 10 cases of the rodent-borne disease ever detected in the UK — and the first since 2009.
A third relative is suspected of having the Ebola-like disease, which kills around one in 100 people, but is awaiting confirmatory tests.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stressed there was no evidence of onward transmission among any of the cases.
One of the confirmed patients is being moved to the Royal Free Hospital in London to receive specialist care, while the second has already made a full recovery. The third probable case is being monitored by doctors locally at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria and several other countries on the west coast of Africa, including Liberia and Guinea.
People usually become infected after exposure to food or household items that are contaminated with urine or faeces of infected rats.
But the virus, which can make women bleed from their vagina and trigger seizures, can also be transmitted via bodily fluids.
Two cases of Lassa Fever have been detected in England after recently returning from West Africa. The patients are within the same family in the East of England, the UK Health Security said
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