The Learning Blog

I just recently received MedScape’s email listing their Top Ten Articles for 2008 for the Internal Medicine Specialty. Click on the numbered headings for more information on the particular articles. More »

Ever wanted to go on a safari in Africa? It might be that either you don’t have the money or time to go there. Fear not, you can still experience—albeit visually and aurally—the wonders of wildlife of Africa by visiting Earth-Touch. More »

From the World Health Organization, 13 October 2008

This is an update report from a previous blog I posted earlier.

Preliminary results from both South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the United States’ Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have shown that the agent that had caused 4 deaths in a matter of days in Zambia and South Africa was caused by a new virus from the family Arenaviridae.

Arenaviridae is part of the genus Arenaviruses. They are a type of viruses that can cause, among others, Lassa Fever. However, it is reported that the offending agent of the above report does not follow Lassa Fever but is found to be more similar to Congo Fever. There are no reports yet on how this disease is transmitted or what/who was the carrier of the virus, and what are its characteristics, research still continues.

“Arena” is a Latin word for “sand.” So literally, the term Arenavirus is translated as “Sand virus.”

Brief Information on Lassa Fever:

• Lassa Fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever found in the equatorial part of Africa. 
• The offending agent is called the Lassa virus and is transmitted by rats (Mastomys natalensis) to humans by inhalation or ingestion of the rat’s feces. Additionally, person-to-person transmission is also possible especially among healthcare workers.
• Most cases of Lassa fever (80%) are not serious, but the remaining 20% can take a complicated course. It is estimated that Lassa fever causes 5,000 deaths annually.
• This condition can cause multiple organ problems especially in the gastrointestinal tract, the heart and blood vessels, the nervous system, and the respiratory tract.
• Having food and personal products kept away from the rodents and good personal hygiene practices are recommended preventive measures. There is no available vaccine yet for Lassa fever.
• Treatment of patients consists of giving an antiviral drug called Ribavirin. The patient should also be isolated and the patient’s waste materials must be disposed properly.
• If a pregnant woman contracts Lassa fever, doctors may give an option to abort the pregnancy so as to increase the survival of the mother.

For more information on Arenaviruses click here. For Lassa fever, here.

Published by the World Health Organization, 10 October 2008

On 12 September, an office employee at a safari tour company living and working in Zambia underwent medical evacuation to South Africa with an as-yet unknown disease. The patient died in a Johannesburg hospital on 14 September. More »