Outbreak of lassa fever in Nigeria: measures for prevention and control
Lassa fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic fever, extremely virulent and often infectious, occurs very frequently in different parts of Nigeria [1-4] and affects approximately 100,000-500,000 persons per year in West Africa. The illness was discovered in Lassa, Borno State where it was first reported....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Pan African Medical Journal
2016-04-01
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| Series: | The Pan African Medical Journal |
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| Online Access: |
https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/23/210/pdf/210.pdf
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| Summary: | Lassa fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic fever, extremely virulent and often infectious, occurs very frequently in different parts of Nigeria [1-4] and affects approximately 100,000-500,000 persons per year in West Africa. The illness was discovered in Lassa, Borno State where it was first reported. It is caused by the Lassa fever virus, a single stranded RNA virus belonging to the arenaviridae family. The incubation period for Lassa fever varies from 6 - 21 days. It is symptomatic and usually characterized by fever, myalgia, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, abdominal and chest pains. Illness may progress to more serious symptoms including haemorrhaging, neurological problems, hearing loss, tremors and encephalitis [8-10]. |
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| ISSN: | 1937-8688 1937-8688 |