A man suffering from a rare virus often compared to Ebola has been admitted to hospital in Paris.
The soldier, who has been confirmed as having a case of Lassa fever, had recently returned from travelling abroad when he fell ill with the virus and is now a patient in the Bégin military hospital in Saint-Mandé, Paris. The rare disease, which exhibits many of the same signs and symptoms of the deadly Ebola virus, including bleeding from the eyes and nose, is commonly spread by rats and is more common in West Africa.
Local health officials announced that an "in-depth epidemiological investigation is under way to determine the persons who may have been in contact with him” but that the the case "does not give cause for concern". Lassa fever takes its name for the area in which is was first identified in Lassa, Nigeria in 1969 when it took the life of a local nurse.
Since then, there have been multiple outbreaks of the disease in the surrounding areas and countries and cases are fairly common in Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Last year, Nigeria reported its worst outbreak on record, with 227 deaths, 1270 confirmed cases and nearly 10,000 suspected.
Although the virus, known as a haemorrhagic fever, is in the same family as Ebola, it is not as deadly, with an estimated case-fatality rate of around around 15% while Ebola has been estimated to kill around 90% of its victims in some outbreaks. Spread to humans by rodents, it is often transmitted through unsanitary conditions. And the disease can also be passed on to one another by humans.
Although it is currently listed on the World Health Organization’s list of diseased that have the potential to cause an epidemic or pandemic, imported cases of the virus are very rare here in the UK. Since 1980, there have been just 11 reported cases, the most recent being in 2022, when a family retuned to their home in Bedfordshire after a trip to West Africa. Unfortunately, a new born baby tragically died of the disease.
Symptoms of the disease include headaches, coughing, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and a sore throat - all common signs of a nasty viral infection. However, in serious cases, the patient can experience internal bleeding, bleeding from the eyes and nose, breathing problems, swelling of the face, pain in the chest and shock. Anti-viral treatment is available but is usually only effective if given in the early stages of the virus.
Unfortunately, the disease is much more common in poorer countries with less developed drainage and sewer systems. Although spread primarily through the faeces, urine, blood and saliva of rats, it can be passed between people in the same way which places healthcare workers and caregivers of the infected at much higher risk of catching the dieasese.