@article{22ed078dca32470f896f0f3c70ec7148,
title = "Lassa Fever 2016 Outbreak in Plateau State, Nigeria—The Changing Epidemiology and Clinical Presentation",
abstract = "Lassa fever (LF) outbreaks in Nigeria mostly occur in rural areas and during the dry season, peaking between December through February. Fever is a cardinal presenting feature among the myriad manifestations of LF. Thirty four patients with clinical diagnosis of LF were analyzed. However, only 11 (32%) LASV infections were confirmed by RT-PCR. The 2016 LF outbreak showed a preferential urban occurrence and a high case fatality. Fever (≥38°C) was not detected in over a fourth of the patients at the time of examination. Bleeding diathesis was the most common presentation while abdominal pain and headache were present in more than half of the confirmed cases. Changes in the geographical distribution and clinical presentation may have implications for disease control efforts and the risk of transmission, both locally and internationally. In order to guide interventions, public health authorities should be aware that the epidemic patterns may be changing.",
keywords = "Nigeria, clinical presentation, epidemiology, fever, lassa",
author = "Shehu, {Nathan Y.} and Gomerep, {Simji S.} and Isa, {Samson E.} and Iraoyah, {Kelly O.} and Johnson Mafuka and Nandom Bitrus and Dachom, {Matthias C.} and Ogwuche, {John E.} and Onukak, {Asukwo E.} and Onyedibe, {Kenneth I.} and Ephraim Ogbaini-Emovon and Egah, {Daniel Z.} and Mateer, {Elizabeth J.} and Slobodan Paessler",
note = "Funding Information: Correspondence should be addressed lo E. M. D. R. We thank Dr. F. Watts and Genentech for the gifts of MZ-15 antibody and human recombinant activin A, respectively. We are indebted to Drs. S. Cram-ton, A. Fainsod, L. Leyns, and D. Bachiller for critical reading of this manuscript and to A. Cuellar for technical assistance. Y. S. was supported by a Sankyo Life Science fellowship and a Human Frontier Science Project Organization long-term fellowship. H. S. was sup. ported by a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft fellowship. This work was supported by grants of the National Institutes of Health (HD21502-09) and the Human Frontier Science Project Organization. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Copyright {\textcopyright} 2018 Shehu, Gomerep, Isa, Iraoyah, Mafuka, Bitrus, Dachom, Ogwuche, Onukak, Onyedibe, Ogbaini-Emovon, Egah, Mateer and Paessler.",
year = "2018",
month = aug,
day = "29",
doi = "10.3389/fpubh.2018.00232",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "6",
journal = "Frontiers in Public Health",
issn = "2296-2565",
publisher = "Frontiers Media S. A.",
}