There is the first victim in Britain of Lassa fever, the viral infection that is worrying England
By: VirgilioNotizie | Posted on:
The Lassa fever caused the first victim in Great Britain, where so far there are at least three confirmed cases. This serious infectious disease, with characteristics very similar to Ebola, was first identified in the past few days in South East England.
Lassa fever, who is the victim and who are the others infected
Person died of Lassa fever comes from Bedfordshire, England. The news was reported by the UK Health Security Agency (Ukhsa).
The other two patients infectedas well as the deceased person, are members of a family who recently returned to the UK after a trip to Africa.
Ukhsa said: “We are contacting people who have had close contact with cases prior to confirmation of their infection, to provide appropriate assessment, support and advice. The risk for the population remains very low “.
What is Lassa fever: the comment of the ISS
According to reports from the National Institute of Health, the Lassa fever “It belongs to the group of viral haemorrhagic fevers (Fev), systemic pathologies of viral origin, characterized by sudden, acute onset and often accompanied by haemorrhagic manifestations”.
“In general, the agents responsible for Fev are Rna viruses (arenavirus, bunyavirus, filovirus, flavivirus), whose survival is guaranteed by natural reservoirs such as animals or insects. Viruses are geographically confined to the areas where the host species live ”, reads the official website of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità.
Photo source: ANSA
What are the symptoms of Lassa fever
In 80% of cases, i symptoms of Lassa fever they are particularly mild: subjects are often asymptomatic. In the remaining 20% of cases, however, it can arise as a serious systemic disease.
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità explained that “the onset of Lassa fever it is gradual and the incubation period can last up to 3 weeks (against an average of 1-9 days for the others). The initial symptoms are quite general: fever, headache, myalgia, pharyngodynia with tonsillar exudate, difficulty in feeding (dysphagia), dry cough, chest pain (sometimes severe back pain), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea “.
The worsening of the clinical picture subsequently arises with edema of the colus and face, pericardial and pleural effusions, encephalopathy, respiratory insufficiency, bleeding of the mucous membranes, proteinuria.
Photo source: ANSA