Lassa fever: Ebola-like virus that causes bleeding from the eyes and spread by rats discovered in Paris – World News

A man suffering from a rare virus often compared to Ebola has been admitted to Paris hospital.

The soldier, who was confirmed to be suffering from Lassa fever, was recently returning from a trip abroad when he fell ill with the virus and is now hospitalized at the Bégin military hospital in Saint-Mandé, in Paris. The rare disease, which has many of the same signs and symptoms as the deadly Ebola virus, including bleeding from the eyes and nose, is usually transmitted by rats and is most common in West Africa.

Local health authorities announced that a “thorough epidemiological investigation is underway to determine the people who may have been in contact with him” but that the case “does not give rise to concern”. Lassa fever takes its name from the region. in which it was first identified in Lassa, Nigeria in 1969 when it claimed the life of a local nurse.

Since then, multiple outbreaks of the disease have occurred in surrounding regions and countries and cases are quite common in Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Last year, Nigeria reported the worst outbreak on record, with 227 deaths, 1,270 confirmed cases and nearly 10,000 suspected cases.

Although the virus, known as hemorrhagic fever, is in the same family as Ebola, it is not as deadly, with an estimated case fatality rate of around 15%, while Ebola is estimated to kill around 90% of people. its victims in a few outbreaks. Transmitted to humans by rodents, it is often transmitted through unsanitary conditions. And the disease can also be transmitted by humans.

Although it is currently on the World Health Organization’s list of diseases with the potential to cause an epidemic or pandemic, imported cases of the virus are very rare here in the UK. Since 1980, only 11 cases have been reported, with the most recent being in 2022, when a family returned home to Bedfordshire after a trip to West Africa. Sadly, a newborn baby died tragically from the disease.

Symptoms of the illness include headache, cough, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and sore throat – all common signs of a nasty viral infection. However, in severe cases, the patient may experience internal bleeding, bleeding from the eyes and nose, breathing problems, facial swelling, chest pain, and shock. Antiviral treatment is available, but it is usually only effective if given in the early stages of the virus.

Unfortunately, the disease is much more prevalent in poorer countries with less developed drainage and sewage systems. Although it is spread primarily through the feces, urine, blood and saliva of rats, it can be transmitted between people in the same way, exposing health care workers and caregivers of infected people to a much higher risk of catching the disease.