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Lassa fever cases suffer from severe underreporting based on reported fatalities
David Simons1,2
1Royal Veterinary College, Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases, 4 Royal College St., London, UK.
International Health
|November 22, 2022
Summary
Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever in West Africa, is significantly underreported. Analysis reveals actual severe cases are nearly double those officially recorded, highlighting a critical data gap.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa.
- Transmission occurs via rodent spillover, with symptomatic disease in 20% of infected individuals.
- Limited diagnostics and healthcare obscure the true disease burden.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the case fatality rate (CFR) of Lassa fever.
- To quantify the underreporting of severe human cases.
- To understand the scale of Lassa fever morbidity and mortality.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of annual reported cases and deaths from Lassa fever.
- Estimation of CFR using three data subsets.
- Literature review of 38 records (5230 cases, 1482 deaths) across seven countries.
Main Results:
- Estimated Lassa fever CFR ranges from 16.5% to 25.6%.
- Between 2012-2022, an estimated 8995 severe cases were expected.
- Current reported cases represent only 58% of the expected number, indicating significant underreporting.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights systemic underreporting of Lassa fever's burden in endemic regions.
- Significant uncertainty exists regarding Lassa fever morbidity and mortality.
- Findings are crucial for understanding the epidemiology of this neglected tropical disease.
