UK Records First Death from Lassa Fever, a New Contagious and Deadly Outbreak

Health officials in the UK announced yesterday, Friday, that a person from Bedfordshire has died after contracting Lassa fever, marking the country's first death from this infectious and deadly disease. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated that the total number of confirmed cases of Lassa fever in the UK has now reached 3. All identified cases belong to the same family in eastern England, who recently returned from West Africa, where the disease is endemic and continues to spread, according to the agency. Dr. Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, stated that "cases of Lassa fever are rare in the UK and do not spread easily between people, the overall risk to the public is very low. We are contacting individuals who were in close contact with the cases before confirming their infections to provide appropriate assessment, support, and advice." She added, "UKHSA and NHS have established and robust infection control procedures to handle cases of imported infectious diseases, which will be strengthened."