A middle-aged Iowa resident who recently traveled to West Africa has died from Lassa fever, state health officials confirmed Monday.
“I want to assure Iowans that the risk of transmission is incredibly low in our state,” Dr. Robert Kruse, state medical director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, said in a news release. “We continue to investigate and monitor this situation and are implementing the necessary public health protocols.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local public health partners are working to identify anyone “who may have been in close contact with the patient, out of an abundance of caution, for monitoring,” the release added.
What is Lassa fever?
Lassa fever is a virus that is mostly found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. It is spread by West African multimammate rats, which are currently the only type known to carry Lassa virus, health officials say.
The viral illness can come on quickly once someone is infected, with an incubation period of between two to 21 days, the World Health Organization says .