Lassa Fever: An Old World Arenavirus
ABSTRACT
A brief summary of lassa fever, its history, pathology and effects on the
indigenous populations. Also, lassa fever in the context of newly emerging
diseases.
LASSA FEVER
On January 12, 1969, a missionary nun, working in the small town of
Lassa, Nigeria, began complaining of a backache. Thinking she had merely pulled
a muscle, she ignored the pain and went on about her business. After a week,
however, the nurse had a throat so sore and so filled with ulcers, she couldn't
swallow. Thinking she was suffering from one of the many bacterial diseases
endemic to the area, her sisters administered every antibiotic they had on store
in the town's Church of the Brethren Mission Hospital. But, the antibiotics did
nothing. Her fever escalated, she was severely dehydrated and blotches,
hemorrhages, were appearing on her skin. She began to swell and became delirious,
so they shipped her to a larger hospital, where one day later she went into......
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Approximate Word Count: 1013
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |