IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-8 March 2018: The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) has confirmed 3 Lassa fever cases from two counties: Montserrado (2) and Nimba (1). All three confirmed cases have died. The 3 cases have undergone safe and dignified burials and the county health teams are conducting contact tracing on both healthcare workers and community members who had high-risk (i.e., direct) contact with the patients during their symptomatic periods.

According to a joint NPHIL & MOH, release, there are no epidemiological link has been established between the three confirmed cases that died. A total of 134 contacts have been identified and are currently being followed-up (Montserrado 105, Margibi 25 and Nimba 4) inclusive of 37 healthcare workers. As of March 7, 2018, no new confirmed Lassa fever cases have been reported.

Since January 1, 2018, a total of 28 suspected cases of Lassa fever have been reported across Liberia including 12 deaths. Of these, seven (7) cases have been confirmed by the National Public Health Reference Laboratory: Nimba (4), Montserrado (2) and Bong (1).

It may be recalled the Independent Probe Newspaper reported 25 February 2018, of an emanate outbreak of Lassa fever in the West African region with transmission of the fever soon to spread in other parts of the region with Liberia and Guinea on red alarm as hot spots reported by the World Health Organization.

This paper reported that a patient from Guinea died in January, leaving public health investigators to follow up on more than 50 contacts that were found to be free of the often fatal hemorrhagic fever symptoms.

The reports further said among the patients were 22 health care workers in Guinea and 16 health care workers in Liberia. Authorities in the neighboring West African countries are working together on stepped-up surveillance and community education. Benin and Sierra Leone also have reported recent cases, according to WHO reports since February 25, 2018.

The news the National Public Health Institute of Liberia-(NHPIL) comes as Nigeria announced since February more than 900 reported cases, about 30 percent of them confirmed by laboratory testing. The Lassa fever death toll in Nigeria now has risen to more than 73. Edo state in the country’s south has seen unusually high numbers of cases, with Ondo and Ebonyi also hard-hit.

At least 17 states have been affected, while Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) says there are now three lab testing sites dealing with the case report

Lassa fever is endemic in a number of countries in West Africa including Liberia People become infected with Lassa fever due to exposure to infected rodents, or from person to person due to exposure to the body fluids of person’s sick with Lassa fever. In addition, health workers may become infected when they handle Lassa fever patients without adequate standard precaution and protective apparel.

Lassa fever is also a viral hemorrhagic illness caused by a virus that is transmitted through contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents and through direct contact with body fluids of symptomatic human cases. In recent years, a consistently increasing trend in the number of Lassa fever cases has been observed in Liberia and other countries across West Africa. This includes Nigeria, where an ongoing outbreak has

led to 353 confirmed cases with 78 confirmed and 8 probable deaths since January 1, 2018.\; Symptoms of Lassa fever include vomiting, respiratory distress, chest pain, hiccups, and unexplained bleeding.

Public Health action taken by the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Ministry of Health and partners are:

• Ensuring that all counties are aware of and prepared for handling any additional Lassa fever cases
• Disseminating health promotion messages about the signs and symptoms of Lassa fever
• Re-training Redemption Hospital staff in Lassa fever case management and safe handling of cases
• Adapting case definition and screening tools
• Conducting surveillance and contact tracing in affected counties

An effective treatment called ribavirin is available in the country for Lassa fever and should start as early as possible following symptomatic onset. Therefore, visiting a health facility immediately upon detection of any of the symptoms is critical to both preventing spread of the disease and ensuring safe recovery of the case.

Lassa fever can be prevented by doing the following.

• Keep your home and surroundings clean to keep rats from entering the home
• Cover your food and drinking water to stop rats from playing in them
• Dispose of garbage correctly and away from the home
• Always wash your hands with soap and water