A curse of Lassa fever: An update

Abstract

This planet has seen a great number of terrible pandemics and epidemics that have wreaked havoc on mankind. The most impacted species among all living things by these epidemics and pandemics are humans. There have been many instances of pandemic like covid in the 19th and 20th centuries; the first plague pandemic (6th–8th century); the second plague pandemic (14th–19th century); etc. Lassa fever is also one of the deadliest of all the species that have wreaked havoc on humanity. In the town of Lassa in Nigeria's Borno state, the acute viral hemorrhagic fever known as Lassa fever was initially identified in 1969. Epidemics of Lassa fever have been reported in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic.  The disease's cause, the Lassa virus, is a member of the Arena viridae family. The RNA genome of the pleomorphic virus is single-stranded and bi-segmented.  By coming into contact with the excretions of infected Mastomysnatalensis rats and other rodent species, LASV, an endemic disease of West Africa, is spread. LASV is one of the high-priority infections included in the WHO R&D Blueprint due to its high fatality rate, lack of effective treatments, and challenges with prevention and control. In 80% of cases, the illness is minor or asymptomatic. Clinical characteristics can be hard to distinguish from those of other viral hemorrhagic fevers and common febrile disorders including malaria, typhoid fever, and other similar conditions. Reverse transcriptase PCR, viral isolation, and antigen and antibody detection are used to provide a final diagnosis. Antiviral medication ribavirin is used for treatment. There is presently no available vaccination. Rats can be avoided by keeping them out of residences.