IOWA, USA — The Iowa Department of Health and CDC are currently investigating a suspected case of Lassa fever in an Iowa resident who returned from a trip to West Africa earlier this month, according to a release.
Lassa fever is common in West Africa but rare in the United States. Between 100,000 and 300,000 people in West Africa become infected with Lassa fever each year, and an estimated 5,000 people die on average. It is usually spread when humans come into contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents, but it is rarely transmitted by person-to-person contact.
Person-to-person transmission occurs through contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids, but not through casual contact. Patients are not believed to be contagious before symptoms begin.
CDC officials said the patient, who is not being named at this time, did not become ill during the trip, which means the risk to other passengers on the affected Iowa flight is “very low.” ” It is said to mean that.
The CDC is working with Iowa officials to investigate how the person contracted the disease, and initial reports indicate the person may have come into contact with rodents while in West Africa. Suggested. People who were in close contact with the infected person will be monitored by the CDC and state officials for 21 days to ensure they are not spreading the infection.
If confirmed by authorities, this case would be the ninth known case since 1969 of Lassa fever among people returning to the United States from an area where Lassa fever is endemic. .
