Iowan dead from West African illness

An Eastern Iowa resident who was being treated at the University of Iowa has died from Lassa fever, a viral illness that is spread by rats found in West Africa, according to a Monday press release from Iowa Health and Human Services.

The death was announced Monday in a news release from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which did not identify the person. According to HHS, the person — who was identified as middle aged — had recently returned form travel to West Africa, where doctors believe they contracted the virus.

Lassa Fever can be deadly, but most people who are infected have mild or no symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can cause symptoms varying from a headache and slight fever to excessive bleeding, difficulty breathing and vomiting.

The virus is usually only spread when humans come into contact with urine or feces of infected multimmamate rats, which are common in Western Africa. It also can be spread through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, but isn’t spread through casual contact like hugging, shaking hands, or sitting near someone, the release states.

In the past 55 years, there have been eight travel-associated cases of Lassa fever reported in the U.S., the release states.

“Out of an abundance of caution,“ Iowa HHS is working with University of Iowa Health Care, the CDC and local public health partners to identify and monitor anyone who may have been in contact with the deceased person.

The testing to determine the person’s cause of death was done at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory on Monday and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to confirm the diagnosis, the release states.

“This is a difficult time for the family of this individual and I want to express our deepest condolences,” said Dr. Robert Kruse, State Medical Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. “I want to assure Iowans that the risk of transmission is incredibly low in our state. We continue to investigate and monitor this situation and are implementing the necessary public health protocols.”

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