Britain was today rocked by fresh Lassa fever fears after someone travelled to England while positive with the virus.  Officials revealed the infected individual travelled from Nigeria while they were unwell with the Ebola-like disease at the end of February.  But it was only after they returned to the West African nation that they were diagnosed with the virus.  UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses are now racing to contain any potential spread of Lassa fever, hunting down all contacts of the unidentified individual.

There have been less than a dozen cases of the rodent-borne disease ever detected in the UK — with the last recorded in 2022.  UKHSA today stressed the overall risk to the public is ‘very low’ and the virus ‘does not spread easily between people’.  Lassa fever, which 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s around one in 100 patients, is endemic in Nigeria and several other countries on the west coast of Africa, including Liberia and Guinea.  People are usually infected after exposure to food or household items that are contaminated with the urine or faeces of infected rats.

Officials revealed an infected individual travelled to England from Nigeria while they were unwell with the Ebola-like disease at the end of February

There have been less than a dozen cases of the rodent-borne disease, ever detected in the UK — with the last recorded in 2022. Pictured, health official wears protective gear to empty medical waste used for treating Lassa fever patients in Irrua, midwest Nigeria But the virus, which can make women bleed from their vagina and trigger seizures, can also be transmitted via bodily fluids.  Officials did not confirm how long the infected individual remained in England for or which part of the country they visited.  It is also not know if they have received hospital treatment in Nigeria or have recovered from the virus. Around 80 per cent of people who contract the disease experience no symptoms at all, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  And while most people make a full recovery, the virus can be fatal in roughly one per cent of cases.  Among those who do get symptoms, a quarter of patients will experience temporary deafness that will eventually return. Other signs of the virus include headaches, sore throats and vomiting.

However, this can gradually progress to shock, seizures, tremors, disorientation and comas without prompt treatment.

In 2022, a child in Bedfordshire died after catching the disease. The newborn 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢, who died at Luton and Dunstable Hospital (pictured), was the third member of a family who recently returned to the UK from West Africa to become infected with the virus. Symptoms usually occur between one and three weeks after having contact with Lassa virus.  There is currently no vaccine to treat or prevent Lassa fever.  Patients are treated with antivirals and sometimes blood pressure drugs and oxygen. Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the UKHSA, said: ‘Our Health Protection Teams are working at pace to get in touch with people who were in contact with this individual while they were in England, to ensure they seek appropriate medical care and testing should they develop any symptoms.  ‘The infection does not spread easily between people, and the overall risk to the UK population is very low.’

In 2022, a child in Bedfordshire died after catching the disease.  The newborn 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢, who died at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, was the third member of a family who recently returned to the UK from West Africa to become infected with the virus. The three infections identified in the East of England were the first spotted since 2009.