Ver el código de «Lassa fever»

==Background==
*RNA virus of arenaviridae family
*Endemic to parts of West Africa
**100,000-300,000 infections every year
*Animal vector:  Multimammate rat (''Mastomys natalensis'')
*A type of [[viral hemorrhagic fevers|viral hemorrhagic fever]]

===Transmission===
*Infected Multimammate rats shed virus in urine and droppings
*Inhalation, ingestion, or direct contact of excrement or soiled food
*Direct contact with bodily fluids of infected human

==Clinical Features==
*Incubation period: 1-3 weeks
*80% of infections are mild
**Undiagnosed or low fever, malaise, headache
*20% of infections are severe
**vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress, facial swelling, body pain, hemorrhage, shock
**death within 2 weeks due to multi-system organ failure
*Occasional neurologic symptoms: hearing loss, tremors, encephalitis

==Differential Diagnosis==
{{Fever in Traveler DDX}}

==Evaluation==
*IgM or IgG ELISA or RT-PCR may be used to diagnose acute infections
*Lymphopenia and elevated transaminases are non-specific, but may indicate worse prognosis

==Management==
*Supportive care is the hallmark of management
*Strict isolation precautions: standard, contact and droplet
**Limit entry and maintain a log of people who enter the room
*[[Ribavirin]] has been shown to decrease mortality
**Most effective when given early (within 6 days)

==Disposition==
*Admit (consider ICU admission)
*Those that seek medical care are more likely to have serious infections:
**Hospital mortality rates can reach 25%
**Overal mortality rates are much less; around 5000 deaths per 100,000-300,000 infections annually

==External Links==
*[http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/lassa/index.html CDC Lassa Fever]

==See Also==
*[[Viral hemorrhagic fevers]]

==References==
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[[Category:ID]]
[[Category:Tropical Medicine]]