Lassa Fever

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An Iowa resident who recently traveled to West Africa has died from a rare hemorrhagic fever, health officials announced on Monday.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that the individual, described as a middle-aged resident from eastern Iowa, passed away due to Lassa fever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently working to validate this diagnosis.

Lassa fever is a viral illness primarily found in West Africa, where it is transmitted to humans through contact with the urine or droppings of infected rodents. Countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria report hundreds of thousands of infections and approximately 5,000 deaths each year due to the virus.

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In the past 55 years, the United States has seen only eight travel-related cases of Lassa fever. While about 80% of those infected experience mild or no symptoms, severe cases can lead to bleeding, vomiting, respiratory distress, and shock.

The virus is not spread through casual contact like hugging or shaking hands, and patients are not considered infectious until symptoms appear. According to the CDC, the patient was asymptomatic during travel, indicating that the risk to fellow airline passengers is extremely low.

In rare instances, Lassa fever can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with bodily fluids or through sexual contact.

The Iowa HHS is collaborating with University of Iowa Health Care, the CDC, and local health officials to identify individuals who may have had close contact with the patient for monitoring purposes.

“This is a difficult time for the family, and we extend our deepest condolences,” said Robert Kruse, State Medical Director of Iowa HHS. “I want to reassure Iowans that the risk of transmission in our state is very low. We are actively investigating this situation and following necessary public health protocols.”