Notes from the Field: Response to a Case of Travel-Associated Lassa Fever - Iowa, October-November 2024

Details

• Personal Author:
  Von Stein, Diana L. ; Barger, Alexandra ; Hennenfent, Andrew ; Ramaekers, Robert ; Mandi, Amanda ; Teno, Kenzie ; Brust, Karen ; Simmons, Jonathan ; Mohr, Nicholas ; Veach, Lisa ; Kumar, Sudhir ; Afroze, Aneesa ; McCutchen, Emily ; Bartling, Amanda ; Pentella, Michael ; Nelson, Megan ; Craft, Jennifer ; Hetzler, Rikki ; Thoreson, Amy ; Coppedge, Alicia ; Jarvis, Sam ; Miller, Jennifer ; Todres, Alison M. ; Wickline, Jessica L. ; Tarrant, Sheena ; Sayyad, Leanna ; Krapiunaya, Inna ; Schuh, Amy ; Whitesell, Amy ; Kuotu, Gerard C. ; McNamara, Kiara ; Cornish, Nancy ; Schwedhelm, Michelle M. ; Vasa, Angela ; Hewlett, Angela ; Galloway, Shantyl ; Kofman, Aaron D. ; Sadigh, Katrin S. ; Kruse, Robert ; Knust, Barbara ; Donahue, Matthew
  More +
• Description:
  What is already known about this topic? Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) endemic to western Africa. Before 2024, eight travel-associated cases had been identified in the United States. What is added by this report? A fatal Lassa fever case in a patient returning from Liberia, the first U.S. case diagnosed in eight years and the ninth U.S. travel-associated case since 1969, was identified in Iowa in late 2024. Investigation identified 180 contacts. Lassa fever virus testing was performed for five symptomatic contacts; all laboratory results were negative. What are the implications for public health practice? The coordinated public health response to this case underscores the importance of eliciting a travel history from febrile patients, effective VHF planning within public health departments and medical communities, and the importance of rapid local testing capabilities. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Lassa Fever
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Virus Infections
• Keywords:
  • Infectious diseases; Infection control; Viral infections; Hemorrhagic fever; Disease prevention; Community health; Clinical diagnosis
• Source:
  MMWR 2025 Apr; 74(11):194-196
• Series:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region OSHA ; Birmingham Region OSHA ; Chicago Region OSHA ; Georgia ; Iowa ; Kansas City Region OSHA ; Kentucky ; Nebraska ; Ohio
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  74
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071566
• Email:
  diana.vonstein@hhs.iowa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259341/cdc_259341_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 133.52 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d92553eb52d15f81ef801b04319555596bdeb9f5bf5ec127ba7627282f3e62bbd2eec11b6ecb5565f47f549991f3aa67517401048b2bdb8e5713fcb0522c396a