published
In the UK, three cases of Lassa fever have been reported in a family recently returned from West Africa. One person died in the hospital.
A person being treated for Lassa fever in east England has died, writes «BBC».
The patient died of an acute viral illness at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, which is run by Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The UK Health Agency (UKHSA) said the person died from a confirmed case of the animal-borne disease, which is endemic to parts of West Africa. The risk to the population is “very low,” it said. In the last few days, the third case of Lassa fever has been identified in the UK. All three cases involved the same family and were related to recent trips to West Africa, said Dr. Susan Hopkins, Senior Medical Advisor at UKHSA.
The cases are the first of the disease to be confirmed in the UK in more than a decade.
The BBC understands two of the patients were treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge before being transferred to a London hospital.
In a statement, the NHS said: “The advice from the Health Authority is that some staff at the hospitals where the patients have been treated may have to undergo tests and wear personal protective equipment more often than normal. “Staff who are in direct contact with confirmed cases are required to self-isolate for a period of time. This is standard practice and a precautionary measure.” A health agency spokesman said: “We are contacting those who had close contact with the cases before their infection was confirmed to provide appropriate assessment, support and advice.”
Prior to the three most recent cases, eight cases of Lassa fever have been identified in the UK since 1980. dr Hopkins said: “Cases of Lassa fever are rare in the UK and it does not spread easily between people. The overall risk to the public is very low.”