Lassa fever

American  

[lah-suh] / ˈlɑ sə /

noun

Pathology.

1. a highly contagious viral disease, largely confined to central West Africa, characterized by fever, difficulty in swallowing, and inflammation of the pharynx, often progressing to infect the lungs, heart, and kidneys, leading to death.

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Lassa fever British  

noun

1. a serious viral disease of Central West Africa, characterized by high fever and muscular pains

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Etymology

Origin of Lassa fever

First recorded in 1965–70; after Lassa, Nigeria, village where it was first identified

Example Sentences

Lassa fever is rare in the UK, but there have been a small number of cases before - most recently in 2022.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025

The work could lay the foundation for better treatments for Lassa fever and other similar diseases.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2024

At the Galveston National Laboratory he has worked with guinea pigs infected with Ebola virus and macaques carrying Lassa fever.

From Science Magazine • May 23, 2023

He knows that villagers, especially children, catch rodents in the forest to fill their bellies, despite the fact that rats in Guinea can carry Lassa fever, which can cause deafness and death.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2023

The future remains very uncertain for Lassa fever, caused by a virus derived probably from rodents.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond