Person dies of Lassa fever in UK as outbreak fears grow
A UK patient has died of Lassa fever, health officials have confirmed.
Earlier this week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it was working to contain a small outbreak of the rare disease after two cases were found.
The news a patient in Bedfordshire has died of the virus brings the confirmed number of infections to three.
The race is on to trace people who came into contact with the deceased but there is though to still be low risk to the public.
The rare Ebola-like virus is spread via rat faeces and is endemic in West Africa.
It is believed the original cases were among a family who had recently returned from the area, although it’s unclear if the third is linked.
Earlier this week, health officials said a third probable case connected to the same family is being investigated in the East of England.
They are the first confirmed cases of the serious disease in the country in more than a decade, with just eight recorded since 1980.
The UK Health Security Agency stressed that human-to-human transmission is rare and most people make a full recovery.
The UKHSA said in a statement: ‘We are contacting the individuals who have had close contact with the cases prior to confirmation of their infection, to provide appropriate assessment, support and advice.
‘The risk to the general public remains very low.’
A Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: ‘We confirm the sad death of a patient at our trust, who had confirmed Lassa fever.
‘We send our deepest condolences to their family at this difficult time.
‘We will continue to support the patient’s family and our staff and are working closely with colleagues from the UK Health Security Agency to undertake a robust contact-tracing exercise.’
People usually catch the illness through contact with food or household items contaminated with the urine or faeces of infected rats – although it can also be spread through infected bodily fluids.
According to the World Health Organisation, symptoms can take anything from 6 to 21 days to develop, and usually start with a fever and general malaise.
They can also include muscle pain, a cough, headache, sore throat, chest and abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Around 80% of infected people develop no symptoms at all and it can be treated with antiviral drugs, with the majority of people making a full recovery.
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