Doctor, Doctor...
By Dave Hall
For all you hypochondriacs out there, Dave Hall continues his regular look at a some of the more unusual medical conditions, as well as some you thought you knew all about.
This week: LASSA FEVER.
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Condition – Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease, first described in 1969 in the town of Lassa, in Nigeria, when two missionary nurses died of the virus. It is a nasty illness that you’d be well advised to avoid getting, and is passed on from infected rodents to humans through urine and faeces. It isn’t helped by the fact that many people in the affected areas eat rodents for food. The virus infects almost every tissue in the human body starting at the mucus linings, then onto the intestines, lungs and urinary system, before nailing the blood vessels. Some of the usual characteristics include high fever, muscle aches, mouth ulcers and bleeding in the skin - lovely.
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Contagion – High. As well as by rodents, Lassa fever can also be transmitted directly from one human to another through airborne means or direct contact with infected human blood, urine, or semen. Children can even get it through infected breast milk. Patients who recover can have contagious urine for up to 9 weeks.
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| Danger of death – Although the overall mortality is about 1%, it rises to about 15%-20% in hospitalised patients. During epidemics this can rise to as high as 50% and death usually occurs within 14 days. |  |
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Incurability? – No vaccine is currently available, but there are drugs available (such as Ribavirin) that will help treat it, even though they are often very expensive. Anyone suspected of having the infection should be isolated straight away.
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Likelihood of getting time off work – If you come back from your African adventure with Lassa fever, you’ll be given as much time off as you need and probably banned from the office toilets forever.
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| Brag-ability – If you make it through the illness, African hospital conditions and the treatment drugs you may have a pretty cool story you can sell/boast about. |
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Overall ridiculousness – Not all that crazy really, and seeing as those damn rodents are everywhere, you’ve got to keep your wits about you when you’re trekking. |
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More conditions to come soon:
Niphablepsia, Bulldog Syndrome and more.
Find more curious conditions in Doctor Doctor. If you can't wait for the next Doctor Doctor, then why not find a Phunny Phobia to keep you going?
Photo: NSA/USA
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