Background: Lassa fever is a disease of public health importance because of its morbidity and associated mortality and also because of its potential for residual morbidity such as hearing loss and social stigma. Knowledge of the mortality among Lassa fever patients is one way of assessing the effectiveness of the current strategies employed in Lassa fever management. This article is aimed at reviewing mortalities among Lassa fever patients. Methods: The relevant articles for the review were searched and obtained through the PubMed database. Data of interest were confirmed cases of Lassa fever, number of deaths and case fatality rates. Findings: All the studies reviewed were carried out in the Lassa fever endemic zone of West Africa. The case fatality rates in Lassa fever ranged from 24% to 61%, with a mean of 36%. More cases of Lassa fever and more deaths occurred during Lassa fever outbreaks. Patient’s age, co-existing medical conditions as well as complications arising from Lassa virus infection were the determinant factors for patients’ survival. Conclusion: The case fatality rate in Lassa fever was very high among hospitalized patients. Timely therapeutic intervention, infection prevention and control measures and well-coordinated response during Lassa fever outbreaks are necessary for favourable outcomes in Lassa fever management.
Published in | American Journal of Internal Medicine (Volume 9, Issue 2) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15 |
Page(s) | 87-90 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Death in Lassa Fever, Case Fatality in Lassa Fever, Patient’s Survival in Lassa Fever
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APA Style
Peter Ekpunobi Chime, Ethel Nkechi Chime, Uzoma Chukwunonso Okechukwu. (2021). Mortality Among Lassa Fever Patients: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Internal Medicine, 9(2), 87-90. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15
ACS Style
Peter Ekpunobi Chime; Ethel Nkechi Chime; Uzoma Chukwunonso Okechukwu. Mortality Among Lassa Fever Patients: A Systematic Review. Am. J. Intern. Med. 2021, 9(2), 87-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15
AMA Style
Peter Ekpunobi Chime, Ethel Nkechi Chime, Uzoma Chukwunonso Okechukwu. Mortality Among Lassa Fever Patients: A Systematic Review. Am J Intern Med. 2021;9(2):87-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15
@article{10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15, author = {Peter Ekpunobi Chime and Ethel Nkechi Chime and Uzoma Chukwunonso Okechukwu}, title = {Mortality Among Lassa Fever Patients: A Systematic Review}, journal = {American Journal of Internal Medicine}, volume = {9}, number = {2}, pages = {87-90}, doi = {10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajim.20210902.15}, abstract = {Background: Lassa fever is a disease of public health importance because of its morbidity and associated mortality and also because of its potential for residual morbidity such as hearing loss and social stigma. Knowledge of the mortality among Lassa fever patients is one way of assessing the effectiveness of the current strategies employed in Lassa fever management. This article is aimed at reviewing mortalities among Lassa fever patients. Methods: The relevant articles for the review were searched and obtained through the PubMed database. Data of interest were confirmed cases of Lassa fever, number of deaths and case fatality rates. Findings: All the studies reviewed were carried out in the Lassa fever endemic zone of West Africa. The case fatality rates in Lassa fever ranged from 24% to 61%, with a mean of 36%. More cases of Lassa fever and more deaths occurred during Lassa fever outbreaks. Patient’s age, co-existing medical conditions as well as complications arising from Lassa virus infection were the determinant factors for patients’ survival. Conclusion: The case fatality rate in Lassa fever was very high among hospitalized patients. Timely therapeutic intervention, infection prevention and control measures and well-coordinated response during Lassa fever outbreaks are necessary for favourable outcomes in Lassa fever management.}, year = {2021} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Mortality Among Lassa Fever Patients: A Systematic Review AU - Peter Ekpunobi Chime AU - Ethel Nkechi Chime AU - Uzoma Chukwunonso Okechukwu Y1 - 2021/03/26 PY - 2021 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15 DO - 10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15 T2 - American Journal of Internal Medicine JF - American Journal of Internal Medicine JO - American Journal of Internal Medicine SP - 87 EP - 90 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-4324 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20210902.15 AB - Background: Lassa fever is a disease of public health importance because of its morbidity and associated mortality and also because of its potential for residual morbidity such as hearing loss and social stigma. Knowledge of the mortality among Lassa fever patients is one way of assessing the effectiveness of the current strategies employed in Lassa fever management. This article is aimed at reviewing mortalities among Lassa fever patients. Methods: The relevant articles for the review were searched and obtained through the PubMed database. Data of interest were confirmed cases of Lassa fever, number of deaths and case fatality rates. Findings: All the studies reviewed were carried out in the Lassa fever endemic zone of West Africa. The case fatality rates in Lassa fever ranged from 24% to 61%, with a mean of 36%. More cases of Lassa fever and more deaths occurred during Lassa fever outbreaks. Patient’s age, co-existing medical conditions as well as complications arising from Lassa virus infection were the determinant factors for patients’ survival. Conclusion: The case fatality rate in Lassa fever was very high among hospitalized patients. Timely therapeutic intervention, infection prevention and control measures and well-coordinated response during Lassa fever outbreaks are necessary for favourable outcomes in Lassa fever management. VL - 9 IS - 2 ER -