To a degree, the types of travel advice, medications and vaccinations you will receive from your local travel clinic will be tailored around your particular journey, your destination and anything you plan to do whilst there.
This is important partly because health and travel advice can sometimes change quickly in the wake of an outbreak, but also because there are certain aspects of travel that can increase or decrease the risk of certain infections.
One of these diseases is Lassa fever, an infectious viral fever similar to Ebola, malaria, yellow fever and typhoid in its symptoms, but requires a very different prevention schedule and treatment if caught.
To understand the precautions you should take, here is a brief explanation of Lassa fever, how it spreads, where it is most commonly found and how you can keep yourself safe.
What Is Lassa Fever?
A relatively rare but potentially very serious viral disease, Lassa fever typically spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of rats and can range in severity from causing no symptoms at all to causing severe internal bleeding.
The vast majority of infections do not cause any symptoms at all, but the most common symptoms are fever, muscle weakness, nonspecific pain, headaches, vomiting and bleeding from the mouth or intestines.
More serious symptoms can include fluid in the lungs, severe bleeding from the mouth, low blood pressure, shock, seizures and coma, similar to the late stages of Ebola.
What makes it difficult to diagnose is that at various stages it can be confused with other diseases such as typhoid, malaria or appendicitis.
According to recent statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, as reported by Punch, the fatality rate for confirmed cases is over 18 per cent, although given that it is difficult to diagnose, the fatality rate of suspected cases is less than one per cent with supportive treatment.
How Does Lassa Fever Spread?
Whilst it has the potential to spread from human to human through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, it most commonly spreads through contact with infected rats or through exposure to objects contaminated by said rats.
The particular rats that are the main carriers for Lassa fever, Mastomys rats, are almost exclusively found in West Africa, although it has been found in other rodent species.
In some parts of equatorial Africa, it is particularly common not only as a household pest but as a delicacy, and because of this and varying levels of sanitation, Lassa fever is most commonly found in rural areas.
It cannot spread through airborne contact, and person-to-person contact is extremely rare outside of a healthcare setting.
How Is It Prevented And Treated?
Unlike other similar diseases such as yellow fever and typhoid, there is no vaccine that can prevent Lassa fever, although several are in development, and no specific antiviral medication has been approved yet.
This means that prevention is focused on reducing contact between rodents and humans in endemic areas, early testing and detection of Lassa fever in areas where it might be suspected, and maintaining general infection control and hygiene practices that prevent other diseases of this type.
As well as this, treatment focuses on managing symptoms and avoiding dehydration through the careful use of fluid management, similar to the non-specific parts of treating a condition like typhoid or Ebola.
Many people infected with Lassa fever will have no symptoms or will make a full recovery, but if the symptoms are severe enough to cause hospitalisation, that can lead to a more serious and long-term recovery schedule.
Pregnant women are at a particular risk of complications from Lassa fever, particularly in the third trimester. In some cases, emergency doctors will recommend abortion as a way to decrease the risk of death for the mother, which can be double the overall mortality rate for confirmed cases.
How Can You Keep Yourself Safe?
Many travellers to West Africa will not be at risk of Lassa fever if they are on a conventional itinerary. Imported cases are very rare according to TravelHealthPro and typically only found in people who work in rural areas in jobs considered to be high-risk.
It is rare to contract the disease and rare to have any serious symptoms, although maintaining careful hygiene, storing food in rodent-proof containers, washing and preparing food carefully and avoiding contact with anyone with symptoms will help to not only protect you from Lassa fever but from other, similar diseases that are more common in the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus. It is most commonly found in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Most infections occur through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents.
The risk to most travellers is very low. However, the risk increases when staying in areas with poor sanitation, rodent infestations, or during outbreaks. Following food hygiene advice and avoiding contact with rodents can significantly reduce the risk.
Store food securely, avoid contact with rodents and their droppings, maintain good hand hygiene, and stay in clean accommodation. A travel health consultation before departure can help you understand destination-specific risks and preventive measures.