Lassa fever in children in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. [Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg] Journal article | | Title | Lassa fever in children in Sierra Leone, West Africa. | | Author(s) | Webb PA, McCormick JB, King IJ, Bosman I, Johnson KM, Elliott LH, Kono GK, O'Sullivan R | | Source | Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1986; 80(4):577-82. | | MeSH | Adolescent
Antibodies, Viral
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Immunoglobulin G
Infant
Lassa Fever
Lassa virus
Male
Sierra Leone
| | Abstract | A systematic study of Lassa fever in febrile children was undertaken over a four-year period, from August 1977 to August 1981, in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, West Africa. 479 patients were studied; of these, 245 had adequate specimens to confirm or exclude the laboratory diagnosis of Lassa fever. 51 cases of Lassa fever were identified (21% of patients from whom diagnosis was possible). Virus was isolated from 23 patients. All children had fever; cough and vomiting were present in over 60% of cases studied. The five to nine-year age group had the highest prevalence rate (41% of cases). Seasonal clustering occurred in April, May, and August. A significantly higher proportion of females than males had Lassa fever, a finding which remains to be explained. It is concluded that Lassa fever is a disease of significant concern in the paediatric age group. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 3810792 |
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