Lassa Fever - The Killer Disease With No Vaccine - BBC News

3/6/2018 Lassa fever: The killer disease with no vaccine - BBC News
Home News Sport Weather Shop Earth Travel
Lassa fever: The killer disease with no vaccine

By Dr Charlie Weller
Head of Vaccines, Wellcome Trust
8 hours ago
ALAMY
Since the beginning of the year, Nigeria has been gripped by an outbreak of a deadly
disease. Lassa fever is one of a number of illnesses which can cause dangerous
epidemics, but for which no vaccine currently exists.
Lassa fever is not a new disease, but the current outbreak is unprecedented, spreading faster
and further than ever before.
Health workers are overstretched, and a number have themselves become infected and died.
The potentially fatal disease is a so-called "viral haemorrhagic fever", which can affect many
organs, and damage the body's blood vessels.
But it is difficult to treat.
Most people who catch Lassa will have only mild symptoms such as fever, headache and
general weakness. They may have none at all.
However, in severe cases, it can mimic another deadly haemorrhagic fever, Ebola, causing
bleeding through the nose, mouth and other parts of the body.
Lassa fever normally has a fatality rate of about one per cent. But in the Nigerian outbreak
it is thought to be more than 20% among confirmed and probable cases, according to the
country's Centre for Disease Control.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43211086?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=facebook 1/14
Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria
22%
fatality rate
1081 suspected cases (1 January - 25 February)

317 confirmed cases
14 health care workers affected in six states
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Getty
About 90 people are thought to have died so far, but the true number may be much higher,
because Lassa is so hard to diagnose.
Women who contract the disease late in pregnancy face an 80% chance of losing their child,
or dying themselves.
In the early stages it's almost impossible to distinguish from other common diseases like
malaria and dengue.
With no readily available test, the only way to confirm a diagnosis is to analyse a blood or
tissue sample in one of small number of specialised laboratories.
The disease was first identified in the Nigerian town of Lassa in 1969, after an outbreak in a
mission hospital.
It has since been seen in many West African countries including Ghana, Mali and Sierra
Leone.
SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
However, this outbreak is causing particular concern because the number of cases is
unusually high for the time of year.
Health officials are working to understand why.
Outbreaks can be influenced by seasonal weather conditions, which affect the numbers of the
virus's natural host - the multimammate rat.
These small mammals are common across West Africa, where they easily find their way into
homes.
Another possibility is that the high number of cases reflects heightened public awareness.
Or it's possible that something about the virus has changed.
Most people catch Lassa fever from anything contaminated with rat urine, faeces, blood or
saliva - through eating, drinking or simply handling contaminated objects in the home.
GETTY IMAGES
It can also pass from person to person through bodily fluids, meaning healthcare workers and
people taking care of sick relatives without protective equipment are particularly at risk.
The incubation period for Lassa is up to three weeks. Researchers are trying to work out
whether - like Ebola - Lassa can stay in the body and be passed on through sexual contact
even after illness subsides.
Nigeria has a strong public health system, and is used to dealing with epidemics like this.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Nigerian authorities to help coordinate
the response and the UK government has deployed a team of experts from its Public
Health Rapid Support Team.
Those living in affected areas are being advised to take basic precautions: blocking holes that
may allow rats to enter their homes, disposing of rubbish in covered dustbins, and storing
food and water in sealed containers.
People are advised to wear protective gloves when caring for anyone who may have Lassa
fever, and to carry out safe burial practices.
Despite these measures, the fight against Lassa - and other infectious diseases - is hampered
by a lack of effective medical tools like diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines.
It is likely that a vaccine could be found for Lassa - reducing the possibility of an outbreak
becoming a global health emergency - but as with other epidemic diseases that mainly affect
poorer countries, progress has stalled.
Vaccine development is a long, complex and costly process. This is especially true for
emerging epidemic diseases, where a prototype vaccine can usually only be tested where
there is an outbreak.
A new organisation called CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) - set
up in 2017 with financial support from the Wellcome Trust, national governments and the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation - hopes to accelerate vaccine production.
Lassa is one of the diseases on its hit list and it's hoped one or more promising vaccines
will be ready for large-scale testing in the next five years.
EPA
The WHO has drawn up a list of other serious, but often poorly understood diseases, with the
potential for devastating outbreaks, including MERS, Nipah, Rift Valley Fever and, of course,
Ebola.
It plans to highlight gaps in our knowledge of these diseases and to begin further research.
But research alone isn't enough.
Stronger health systems are needed in the countries where epidemics are most likely to arise.
This could mean building better healthcare facilities and training staff to recognise and
respond to outbreaks.
It will also mean working with communities to understand how to identify outbreaks at an early
stage and prevent their spread.
About this piece
This analysis piece was commissioned by the BBC from an expert working for an outside
organisation.
Dr Charlie Weller is head of vaccines at the Wellcome Trust, which describes itself as a
global charitable foundation working to improve health for everyone. Follow her at
@DrCharlieWeller.
Edited by Jennifer Clarke.
Related Topics
Expert Network Nigeria Vaccines Ebola virus
Share this story About sharing
More on this story

Mutation 'gives bats edge over deadly viruses'
22 February 2018
Vaccines for three deadly viruses fast-tracked

18 January 2017
How disease testing tech is saving lives faster

20 September 2016
Spread of human disease from animals mapped

13 June 2016
Zika vaccine possible 'within months'

4 March 2016
Zika and Ebola: A taste of things to come?

26 February 2016
Africa
Neighbours ban SA meat in sausage scare
5 March 2018 Africa
LIVE Africa today: Mugabe plots second coming

Africa
IS releases video of 'deaths of US troops'

5 March 2018 Africa
More Videos from the BBC

Recommended by Outbrain
Building a snow hole to The first 'plastic-free' Near miss as bus

survive a blizzard supermarket aisle swerves to avoid car
Caught on camera Inside the B&B voted School flooded after

best in Europe pipes burst
Elsewhere on BBC
Recommended by Outbrain
BBC News BBC Culture

China sets trillion yuan military budget The toxic colour that comes from
volcanoes
BBC News BBC Future

Motorway to remain closed The woman whose tumour made her
'indefinitely' religion deadly
BBC.com BBC Travel

#MyDubai - Live the culture of How I learned to go in circles in
innovation with Joy Kathmandu
Top Stories
Critically ill man is former Russian spy
A man exposed to an unknown substance in England is Colonel Sergei Skripal, the BBC is
told.
43 minutes ago
Republicans 'worried' by Trump tariff plan

17 minutes ago
Syria aid convoy retreats amid shelling

5 minutes ago
Features
The killer disease with no vaccine
The day Putin cried
Being sexy at any size in Asia
Forced holidays for Chinese dissidents

Police send rights activist Hu Jia on a "holiday", just one way dissent is silenced during the
annual congress.
Who won at the Oscars
What on earth is an inclusion rider?
Glamour from the red carpet
Notre-Dame: Cracks in the cathedral
'I went undercover in the alt-right'
Most Read
Critically ill man is former Russian spy 1
Oscars 2018: Man arrested for theft of Frances McDormand's 2

Oscar
Leicester shop explosion: Three men in court over fatal blast 3

'caused by petrol'
Wrong-name Cambridge Half Marathon winner disqualified 4
Carluccio's is latest restaurant chain to feel the heat 5
Trevor Baylis: Wind-up radio inventor dies aged 80 6
Royal Mail halts three million scam letters 7
The day Putin cried 8
Oscars 2018: who or what is an inclusion rider? 9
Theresa May: Young are 'right to be angry' about lack of homes 10
From Around the Web

Promoted content by Outbrain
Attention Lahore Drivers: Check Out the Top 3…

Discount Tires Guide
Top Phone Specials of the Year

Faqeo
Flight Prices You're Not Allowed To See!

Save 70
Entering the Market: Metallica’s Kirk Hammett…

Mansion Global
Here Are 5 Free Antivirus Products You Can Trust

My Antivirus Review
Jay Leno Spends $13.5M on Oceanfront Estate…

Mansion Global
Ads by Google
Ad
Jobs in Pakistan
All New Jobs in Pakistan. Apply Today!
bayt.com/Pakistan-Jobs
Why you can trust BBC News
BBC News Services

On your mobile
On your connected tv
Get news alerts
Contact BBC News
Explore the BBC

Home News
Sport Weather
Shop Earth
Travel Capital
Culture Autos
Future TV
Radio CBBC
CBeebies Food
iWonder Bitesize
Music Arts
Make It Digital Taster
Nature Local
Terms of Use About the BBC
Privacy Policy Cookies
Accessibility Help Parental Guidance
Contact the BBC Get Personalised Newsletters
Advertise with us Ad choices
Copyright © 2018 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our
approach to external linking.

Lassa Fever - The Killer Disease With No Vaccine - BBC News

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lassa Fever - The Killer Disease With No Vaccine - BBC News

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

3/6/2018 Lassa fever: The killer disease with no vaccine - BBC News

Home News Sport Weather Shop Earth Travel

Lassa fever: The killer disease with no vaccine

But it is difficult to treat.

Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria

1081 suspected cases (1 January - 25 February)

SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Health officials are working to understand why.

Or it's possible that something about the virus has changed.

poorer countries, progress has stalled.

But research alone isn't enough.

About this piece

Edited by Jennifer Clarke.

Expert Network Nigeria Vaccines Ebola virus

Share this story About sharing

More on this story

Vaccines for three deadly viruses fast-tracked

How disease testing tech is saving lives faster

Spread of human disease from animals mapped

Zika vaccine possible 'within months'

Zika and Ebola: A taste of things to come?

Neighbours ban SA meat in sausage scare

5 March 2018 Africa

LIVE Africa today: Mugabe plots second coming

IS releases video of 'deaths of US troops'

More Videos from the BBC

Building a snow hole to The first 'plastic-free' Near miss as bus

Caught on camera Inside the B&B voted School flooded after

BBC News BBC Culture

BBC News BBC Future

BBC.com BBC Travel

Republicans 'worried' by Trump tariff plan

Syria aid convoy retreats amid shelling

The killer disease with no vaccine

The day Putin cried

Being sexy at any size in Asia

Forced holidays for Chinese dissidents

Who won at the Oscars

What on earth is an inclusion rider?

Glamour from the red carpet

Notre-Dame: Cracks in the cathedral

'I went undercover in the alt-right'

Oscars 2018: Man arrested for theft of Frances McDormand's 2

Leicester shop explosion: Three men in court over fatal blast 3

Wrong-name Cambridge Half Marathon winner disqualified 4

Carluccio's is latest restaurant chain to feel the heat 5

Trevor Baylis: Wind-up radio inventor dies aged 80 6

Royal Mail halts three million scam letters 7

The day Putin cried 8

Oscars 2018: who or what is an inclusion rider? 9

Theresa May: Young are 'right to be angry' about lack of homes 10

From Around the Web

Attention Lahore Drivers: Check Out the Top 3…

Top Phone Specials of the Year

Flight Prices You're Not Allowed To See!

Entering the Market: Metallica’s Kirk Hammett…

Here Are 5 Free Antivirus Products You Can Trust

Jay Leno Spends $13.5M on Oceanfront Estate…

Why you can trust BBC News

BBC News Services

Get news alerts

Contact BBC News

Explore the BBC