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Lassa Fever
Signs and Symptoms: abrupt onset of high fever. muscle pain, headache, dizziness, flushed face, conjuctival injection, and vomiting.
Lassa Fever is Zoonotic, which means that it is transmitted from an animal. The animal it is from is the African Rat. Even though this is a main food source, it is caused by coming in contact with the urine and waste.
What is it? A hemorrhagic virus that dissolves organs and causes death by internal bleeding.
Treatment: The medication used is Ribavirin, which is a prodrug which messes with the make up of the virus. You also need fluid replacement and blood transfusion.
Diagnosis: Lab Tests Include : ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test for antigen and IgM antibodies.
Prognosis: only 15%-20% of people die from this disease. But over 80% of pregnant women die ( Abortion increases your chances of survival) Fetus has a 1 in 10 chance of survival.
West Africa is estimated at 100,000 to 300,000 Cases a Year with approximately 5,000 deaths