A patient in the UK has died from a confirmed case of case of Lassa fever, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday.
The deceased was one of three people from the same family to be diagnosed with the animal-borne acute viral illness which is endemic in parts of West Africa and was being treated at a secure infectious disease unit at a Bedfordshire hospital.
The UKHSA said the risk to the public “remains very low” and that it is speaking to close contacts of the Lassa fever cases “to provide appropriate assessment, support and advice".
All cases are believed to be linked to travel to West Africa and are the first of the potentially fatal infectious disease to be confirmed in the UK in more than a decade.
“We confirm the sad death of a patient at our trust, who had confirmed Lassa fever. We send our deepest condolences to their family at this difficult time,” said a representative for the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
“We will continue to support the patient's family and our staff and are working closely with colleagues from the UK Health Security Agency to undertake a robust contact tracing exercise.”
What is Lassa fever?
Lassa fever ranks alongside Ebola, Marburg and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever as one of four acute haemorrhagic diseases with pandemic potential.
Food, urine, faeces and other bodily fluids are all vectors for the diseases.
Symptoms can start slowly with a mild fever or listlessness, but can progress to headaches, muscle pain and vomiting.
In extremis, the virus causes facial swelling and intense bleeding from the mouth, nose and other orifices.
A vaccine has yet to be developed for the virus and existing therapeutics are inadequate.
In West Africa, it infects about a 100,000 people a year, killing an average of 5,000.
Nigeria is currently suffering from a Lassa fever outbreak which to data had claimed 40 lives.
