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UK detects case of Ebola-like disease that causes horrific bleeding and seizures – as officials rush to trace contacts
The risk to the public is 'very low' and the virus 'does not spread easily between people'
HEALTH chiefs are scrambling to find close contacts of a person who visited the UK while sick with Lassa Fever.
The horrific Ebola-like disease can cause bleeding from the eyes - though the majority of victims show no symptoms.
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They travelled from Nigeria to England in late February while sick with the virus, according to the UK Health Security Agency ().
It was only after they returned to the West African nation that they were diagnosed with the virus.
Health bosses are now racing to contain any potential spread of Lassa fever, tracing all contacts of the unidentified individual.
They said the risk to the public is currently "very low" and the virus "does not spread easily between people".
Read more on lassa fever
There have been less than a dozen cases of the rodent-borne disease, ever detected in the UK - with the last recorded in 2022.
Lassa fever, which kills around one in 100 people, is endemic Nigeria and several other countries in West Africa.
Like Ebola, it is a viral haemorrhagic illness, which can lead to internal bleeding and affect multiple organ systems.
People usually contract it by being exposed to food or items covered in rat urine or faeces, which is why it is sometimes called 'rat fever'
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The virus can also be spread via sex, through infected bodily fluids.
Most people with Lassa Fever make a full recovery but some people can get severely ill.
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There is currently no vaccine to treat or prevent it.
Lassa fever is caused by the Lassa virus, which is listed on the World Health Organisation’s list of notorious pathogens that have epidemic or pandemic potential.
Up to 80 per cent of cases are without symptoms.
However, it can cause headaches, weakness, coughing, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains and a sore throat.
In severe cases, the disease can affect many organs and can damage the body's blood vessels.
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This can lead to bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth and vagina, as well as breathing problems, facial swelling, seizures, chest pain and shock.
One per cent of people who are infected die, although this rises to 15 per cent in people who are admitted to the hospital with severe symptoms, and up to 70 per cent in some areas.
Dr Meera Chand, from the UKHSA, said: "Our health protection teams are working at pace to get in touch with people who were in contact with this individual while they were in England, to ensure they seek appropriate medical care and testing should they develop any symptoms.
"The infection does not spread easily between people, and the overall risk to the UK population is very low."
In 2022, a person in Bedfordshire died after catching the disease.
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They were the third member of a family who recently returned to the UK from West Africa to become infected with the virus.
The three infections identified in the East of England were the first spotted since 2009.
Lassa Fever: Signs, symptoms and how to stay safe
The incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from six to 21 days.
The onset of the disease, when it is symptomatic, is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise.
After a few days, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and abdominal pain may follow.
In severe cases, facial swelling, fluid in the lung cavity, bleeding from the eyes, mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure may develop.
How to stay safe
UK travellers planning to visit areas at risk of Lassa fever should consider their plans carefully, in consultation with a travel health specialist.
All travellers to Lassa fever endemic areas should:
- Avoid contact with anyone with symptoms
- Avoid contact with blood and body fluids and items that might have been contaminated with blood and body fluids, like clothes, bedding or medical equipment
- Avoid areas with a risk of contamination with rat urine or droppings
- Avoid eating, cooking or preparing any meat from an unknown source
- Always wash and peel fruit and vegetables carefully
- Store food in rodent-proof containers
- Follow good food, water and personal hygiene advice, including careful, regular hand washing with soap and water (or alcohol gel if soap and water is unavailable)
- Follow safer sex advice - always use a condom
- At funerals, mourners should avoid all contact with the deceased, their body fluids and their personal property
Check each Country Information page for destination specific news and outbreaks.
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