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Lassa fever confirmed in traveler returning to Minnesota from West Africa (DoH, April 4 2014)

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  • Lassa fever confirmed in traveler returning to Minnesota from West Africa (DoH, April 4 2014)

    [Source: Minnesota Department of Health, full page: http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/p...ver040414.html - Edited.]

    News Release / April 4, 2014

    Contact information

    Lassa fever confirmed in traveler returning to Minnesota from West Africa

    General public is not at risk from this case


    On March 31, 2014, a man returning to Minnesota from West Africa was admitted to a hospital in Minnesota with fever and confusion.

    Blood samples submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tested positive for Lassa fever on the evening of April 3.

    Lassa fever is an acute viral disease common in West Africa but rarely seen in the U.S.

    The last case of Lassa fever in the United States was in 2010 and was travel-related.

    The Lassa virus is carried by rodents in West Africa and is transmitted to humans through contact with urine or droppings of infected rodents.

    Though rare, it can also be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with a sick person's blood or bodily fluids, through mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth), or through sexual contact.

    The virus is not transmitted through casual contact.

    The incubation period for Lassa fever is one to three weeks.

    In West Africa, there are about 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever and about 5,000 deaths annually.

    Eighty percent of human infections don't show any symptoms.

    Overall, death is rare in patients who contract Lassa fever, with only 1 percent of all cases resulting in death in areas of West Africa where infection is common.

    The Minnesota Department of Health is working in close cooperation with the hospital, CDC and others in the investigation.

    MDH and CDC are working with the hospital to notify any health care providers or staff who may have had contact with the patient.

    The general public is not at risk from this case.

    The Minnesota patient is recovering and is in stable condition.

    "The hospital has done an excellent job of caring for the patient and taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and protection of hospital staff, visitors and patients," said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health.

    The ill man flew to Minneapolis-St. Paul on March 31. Promptly after his arrival, the patient was seen by a physician who, given the patient's travel history and condition, suspected a possible hemorrhagic fever and immediately reported it to MDH.

    Since Lassa virus is not spread by casual contact, CDC believes any risk to other airline passengers and crew is extremely low.

    However, in the interest of protecting passenger health, CDC is working with the airlines to identify passengers and crew who may have had close contact with the ill man during his travel. State and local health departments will reach out to notify these individuals of their possible exposure.

    More information about Lassa fever is available on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/lassa/.
    -MDH-

    Media inquiries: Michael Schommer / MDH Communications, 651-201-4998

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  • #2
    Re: Lassa fever confirmed in traveler returning to Minnesota from West Africa (DoH, April 4 2014)

    [Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), full page: (LINK).]


    Press Release / For Immediate Release: Friday, April 4, 2014 / Contact: CDC Media Relations, (404) 639-3286

    Lassa Fever Reported in U.S. Traveler Returning from West Africa

    Contact investigation under way; risk to other travelers considered extremely low


    The CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) have confirmed a diagnosis of Lassa fever in a person returning to the United States from West Africa. The patient was admitted to a hospital in Minnesota on March 31 with symptoms of fever and confusion. Blood samples submitted to CDC tested positive for Lassa fever on April 3. The patient is recovering and is in stable condition.

    ?This imported case is a reminder that we are all connected by international travel. A disease anywhere can appear anywhere else in the world within hours,? said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.

    Lassa fever is a severe viral disease that is common in West Africa but rarely seen in the United States. Seven other Lassa fever cases, all travel related, have been identified in the United States, with the last one reported in Pennsylvania in 2010. Although Lassa fever can produce hemorrhagic symptoms in infected persons, the disease is not related to Ebola hemorrhagic fever, which is responsible for the current outbreak in West Africa.

    In West Africa, Lassa virus is carried by rodents and transmitted to humans through contact with urine or droppings of infected rodents. In rare cases it can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with a sick person?s blood or bodily fluids, through mucous membrane, or through sexual contact. The virus is not transmitted through casual contact. About 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever, and 5,000 deaths related to Lassa fever, occur in West Africa each year.

    CDC is working with public health officials and airlines to determine the patient?s travel route from West Africa and identify any passengers or others who may have had close contact with the infected person. Preliminary information indicates that the patient flew from West Africa to New York City and caught another flight to Minneapolis.

    ?Given what we know about how Lassa virus is spread to people, the risk to other travelers and members of the public is extremely low,? said Martin Cetron, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC?s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.

    ?Casual contact is not a risk factor for getting Lassa fever,? said Barbara Knust, D.V.M., M.P.H., an epidemiologist in CDC?s Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, which performed the laboratory testing. ?People will not get this infection just because they were on the same airplane or in the same airport.?

    As part of its investigation, CDC is working with the airlines to gather contact information for passengers and crew who were seated near the infected individual. CDC will provide passenger contact information to state and local health departments where the passengers live to notify them about their possible exposure.

    For additional information about Lassa fever see the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/lassa/.

    For more information about airline contact investigations see http://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/contact-investigation.html.


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