Review Article on Lassa Fever

V. Saichitraprathyusha*
Ratnam Institute of Pharmacy, Pidathapoluru, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, India

A B S T R A C T
Lassa fever is endemic in west Africa, where it probably kills several thousand people each year. Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by rats. It has been known since the 1950s, but the virus was not identified until 1969, when two missionary nurses died from it in the town of Lassa in Nigeria. Found predominantly in west Africa, it has the potential to cause tens of thousands of deaths. Even after recovery, the virus remains in body fluids, including semen. With access to the region improving, the opportunity, and the need, to improve our understanding of this disease are increasing. The risk of importing the disease into the UK is small but real, and it continues to be a worldwide concern among public health officials. This article summarizes its epidemiology and clinical presentation, and discusses current theories of its pathogenesis.
Keywords: viral, haemorrhagic, predominantly, semen, pathogenesis