Editing Lassa fever (section)

===Geography===
Lassa high risk areas are near the western and eastern extremes of West Africa. As of 2018, the Lassa belt includes Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia.<ref name=JAMA2018>{{cite journal|author1=David Greenky|author2=Barbara Knust|author3=Eric J. Dziuban|title=What Pediatricians Should Know About Lassa Virus|journal=[[JAMA Pediatrics]]|year=2018|volume=172|issue=5|pages=407–408|doi=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.5223|pmid=29507948|pmc=5970952}}</ref> As of 2003, 10-16% of people in Sierra Leone and Liberia admitted to hospital had the virus.<ref name="Rich2003" /> The case fatality rate for those who are hospitalized for the disease is about 15-20%. Research showed a twofold increase risk of infection for those living in close proximity to someone with infection symptoms within the last year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lassa fever |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lassa-fever#:~:text=The%20overall%20case%20fatality%20rate,treatment%20improves%20chances%20of%20survival. |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref>

The high risk areas cannot be well defined by any known biogeographical or environmental breaks except for the multimammate rat, particularly Guinea ([[Kindia Region|Kindia]], [[Faranah Region|Faranah]] and [[Nzérékoré Region|Nzérékoré]] regions), Liberia (mostly in [[Lofa County|Lofa]], [[Bong County|Bong]], and [[Nimba County|Nimba]] counties), Nigeria (in about 10 of 36 states) and Sierra Leone (typically from [[Kenema District|Kenema]] and [[Kailahun District|Kailahun]] districts).  It is less common in the Central African Republic, Mali, Senegal and other nearby countries, and less common yet in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Benin had its first confirmed cases in 2014, and Togo had its first confirmed cases in 2016.<ref name="PHE" />

As of 2013, the spread of Lassa outside of West Africa had been very limited. Twenty to thirty cases had been described in Europe, as being caused by importation through infected individuals.<ref name=Go2012/> These cases found outside of West Africa were found to have a high fatality risk because of the delay of diagnosis and treatment due to being unaware of the risk associated with the symptoms.<ref name=Go2012/> Imported cases have not manifested in larger epidemics outside of Africa due to a lack of human to human transmission in hospital settings. An exception had occurred in 2003 when a healthcare worker became infected before the person showed clear symptoms.<ref name=Go2012/>

In October 2024, a resident of [[Iowa]], United States has passed away due to Lassa fever following a trip to West Africa, as reported by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.<ref name="Branswell">{{Cite web |last=Branswell |first=Helen |date=2024-10-28 |title=U.S. death from Lassa fever, an Ebola-like virus, is reported in Iowa |url=https://www.statnews.com/2024/10/28/lassa-fever-us-case-iowa-death/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=STAT |language=en-US}}</ref> Health officials indicate the person likely contracted Lassa fever—transmissible through contact with infected body fluids or, potentially, with rodents while abroad, according to guidance from the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=CDC |date=2024-10-28 |title=Lassa Fever Suspected in Death of U.S. Traveler Returning from West Africa |url=https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s1028-lassa-fever.html |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=CDC Newsroom |language=en-us}}</ref>