4 Tips to Prepare Your Business for the Holiday Rush | Cleaning and maintenance management.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed the death of a middle-aged eastern Iowa resident due to Lassa fever. Lassa fever is a viral disease common in West Africa but rarely seen in the United States. The person recently returned from a trip to West Africa, where he is believed to have contracted the virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to confirm the diagnosis of Lassa fever . Initial testing Monday at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory showed the illness was presumed positive for Lassa fever.

"I want to reassure Iowans that the risk of transmission in our state is incredibly low," said Dr. Robert Kruse, medical director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. "We continue to investigate and monitor this situation and implement the necessary public health protocols. »

Iowa HHS is working closely with the University of Iowa Health Care, where the individual was treated, the CDC and local public health partners to identify and monitor anyone who may have been in close contact with the patient out of an abundance of caution . . The patient also did not become ill during the trip, so the risk to other flight passengers is extremely low.

Lassa fever is not spread through casual human contact, such as hugging, shaking hands, or sitting next to someone or in the air. Although very rare, the virus can be transmitted from person to person through blood or body fluids. Lassa fever is transmitted by rodents in West Africa and is transmitted to humans who may come into contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents. Initial information suggests the Iowa patient may have come into contact with rodents while in West Africa, the CDC reported.

In West Africa, there are approximately 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever and 5,000 Lassa fever-related deaths each year.

If confirmed, the suspected case in Iowa would be the ninth known case of Lassa fever since 1969 in travelers returning to the United States from areas where Lassa fever is common.

Adblock test (Why?)