Eswatini will receive 11 more third-country deportees from US
SA identifies first case of Lassa fever since 2007
2:41 CAT | 15 May 2022
FILE - The natural host of this virus is a rodent species called the multimammate rat which is commonly found in homes and other areas where a food source can be found. [File photo: Wikimedia Commons ( By Kelly, et al at National Library of Medicine ]
South Africa has identified an imported case of Lassa fever, a haemorrhagic virus harboured by rats and transmitted to humans. The infection is the first to be detected in the country since 2007.
The case was identified in a man in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal who had travelled to Nigeria, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a statement on Friday. The man has died, the NICD said.
Lassa fever is endemic in West Africa and kills about 5 000 people a year.
ALERT: A case of #Lassafever was diagnosed in a man from KwaZulu-Natal on 12 May 2022. The man had extensive travel history in Nigeria and fell ill after entering South Africa. For more information, click here https://t.co/6l0s4NOSjb pic.twitter.com/Bs8LySbtB5
— NICD (@nicd_sa) May 13, 2022
Show comments
Also read
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.