'\n\nLASSA FEVER - WEST AFRICA (27): LIBERIA (MARGIBI)\n\n*************************************************\n\nA ProMED-mail post\n\nhttp://www.promedmail.org\n\nProMED-mail is a program of the\n\nInternational Society for Infectious Diseases\n\nhttp://www.isid.org\n\nDate: Wed 9 May 2018\n\nSource: The Bush Chicken [edited]\n\nhttp://www.bushchicken.com/margibi-health-team-confirms-lassa-fever-outbreak/\n\nThe Margibi County Health Team has declared a health emergency following 2\nconfirmed cases of Lassa fever deaths in less than a week.\n\nThe newly assigned county health officer, Dr. Myers Pajibo, told a press\nbriefing on [Tue 8 May 2018] that the 2 cases involve a 56-year-old male and a\n35-year-old female, who showed signs of the fever by profusely vomiting with\nblood on [3 May 2018] and subsequently dying on [5 May 2018], at the C. H.\nRennie Hospital in Kakata.\n\nPajibo noted that the specimen taken from the deceased had been confirmed by\nthe medical reference lab as Lassa fever, leaving the County Health Team with\nno alternative but to treat the case as a medical emergency.\n\n"As of today [Tue 8 May 2018], we have 2 confirmed cases of Lassa fever, and\nthe 2 cases have died. One has been buried, and the other is en route to be\nburied," Pajibo said. "Realizing the seriousness of this situation, we have\nput in place the Incident Management System."\n\nHe added: "Whenever there is an outbreak, we call the technical people\ntogether to see how we can address it; we have notified the National Public\nHealth Institute and the Ministry of Health to see how they could help us."\n\nHe noted that, following the death of the 2 victims, at least 50 people had\nbeen traced and are being monitored as close contacts.\n\nPajibo thanked the Nimba County Health Team for sending 2 technical staff to\nassist the county in containing the outbreak.\n\nHealth officials are asking people showing signs of malaria and typhoid to be\ntested to help contain the virus.\n\nThe World Health Organization\'s website notes that Lassa fever\'s initial\nsymptoms include fever and general weakness, followed by a headache, sore\nthroat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, and\nabdominal pain.\n\nThe health body noted that humans could be exposed to the disease by\nencountering feces or urine from rodents and urged good community hygiene that\ndiscourages rodents from entering homes.\n\n[Byline: Emmanuel Degleh]\n\n\\--\n\nCommunicated by:\n\nProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts\n\n<promed@promedmail.org>\n\n[There is an ongoing outbreak of Lassa fever in Liberia this year (2018). A 13\nApr 2018 WHO report stated that for the year until 13 Apr 2018 there were 67\nsuspected cases and that confirmed cases have occurred in 6 counties: Nimba (4\ncases), Montserrado (3), Bong (1), and Grand Bassa (1); 8 of the 9 confirmed\ncases died, a case fatality rate of 89 percent. The confirmed cases are\npredominately female (78 percent) and the age range among confirmed cases is 1\nto 57 years old with a median age of 32 years (see ProMED-mail post Lassa\nfever - West Africa (23): Liberia, WHO\n\n20180417.5753003\n\n). The above 2 cases are the 1st ones reported this year (2018) from Margibi\ncounty.\n\nThe situation where the 2 cases acquired Lassa fever virus is not indicated.\nVirus transmission to humans occurs when people are in contact with the\nreservoir rodent host, the multimammate mouse (in the genus _Mastomys_) or its\nexcreta, as was likely the situation in these cases. Rodent control has to be\nundertaken at the village level with individual households employing the\npreventive measures. This requires an extensive and continuous public\neducation effort. Transmission also occurs in health facilities when personal\nprotective equipment is not employed and barrier-nursing practices are not\nadequate to protect staff from blood and secretions of infected patients.\n\nImages of the _Mastomys_ mouse, the rodent reservoir of Lassa fever virus, can\nbe seen at\n\nhttps://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/45326-Mastomys-natalensis\n\n. - Mod.TY\n\nMaps of Liberia:\n\nhttp://www.theworldmap.net/country/big/liberia/\n\nand\n\nhttps://promedmail.org/promed-post?place=5791763,54\n\n]\n\n## See Also\n\nLassa fever - West Africa (23): Liberia, WHO\n\n20180417.5753003\n\nLassa fever - West Africa (17): Liberia (MO, NI)\n\n20180310.5678669\n\n2017\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever - West Africa (04): Liberia\n\n20170209.4827934\n\n2016\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever - West Africa (29): Nigeria, Liberia\n\n20160520.4233773\n\nLassa fever - West Africa (23): Sweden (VG) ex Liberia, additional information\n\n20160406.4141321\n\nLassa fever - West Africa (22): Sweden\n\n20160404.4137025\n\n2015\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever - USA: (NJ) ex Liberia\n\n20150526.3386913\n\n2014\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever - Nigeria, Liberia\n\n20140328.2363217\n\n2013\n\n\\---\n\nLassa fever - Liberia: (BG) fatal cases\n\n20130911.1937742\n\n2011\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever, imported - Sweden (02): (LG) background\n\n20110310.0778\n\nLassa fever, imported - Sweden: (LG) ex West Africa\n\n20110309.0766\n\n2007\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever - Liberia (03)\n\n20070430.1406\n\nLassa fever - Liberia (02): confirmed\n\n20070413.1235\n\nLassa Fever - Liberia: RFI\n\n20070410.1210\n\n2006\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever - Liberia (02)\n\n20061001.2812\n\nLassa fever - Liberia: RFI\n\n20060929.2783\n\n2004\n\n\\----\n\nLassa fever, imported - USA (NJ) ex Liberia (02)\n\n20040930.2700\n\nLassa fever, imported - USA (NJ) ex Liberia\n\n20040903.2467\n\n.................................................sb/jh/ty/ao/jh\n\n',  