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Lassa fever - full recovery without ribavarin treatment: a case report |
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| Authors: | Nnennaya A Ajayi Kingsley N Ukwaja Ngozi A Ifebunandu Richard Nnabu Francis I Onwe Danny A Asogun |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria;2. Department of Community Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria;3. Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health, Ebonyi State, Nigeria;4. Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria |
| Abstract: | BackgroundLassa fever is a rodent-borne zoonosis that clinically manifests as an acute hemorrhagic fever. It is treated using ribavarin. Surviving Lassa fever without receiving the antiviral drug ribavarin is rare. Only few cases have been documented to date.Case PresentationWe report a case of a 59-year old female with fever who was initially thought to have acute pyelonephritis and sepsis syndrome with background malaria. Further changes in her clinical state and laboratory tests led to a suspicion of Lassa fever. However at the time her laboratory confirmatory test for Lassa fever returned, her clinical state had improved and she made full recovery without receiving ribavarin. Her close contacts showed no evidence of Lassa virus infection.ConclusionThis report adds to the literature on the natural history of Lassa fever; and that individuals may survive Lassa fever with conservative management of symptoms of the disease and its complications. |
| Keywords: | Lassa fever viral hemorrhagic fever survival ribavarin |