# Lassa Fever

- Category: chronic
- Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page)
- Sources: ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class AD14.05 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care · Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560717/
- Verified date: 2026-08

## Verified against

- No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
- Lassa Fever - disease-level clinical article (lassa-fever-full.txt)
- Lassa Fever - disease-level clinical article (lassa-fever-clinical.txt)

## Treatment metadata

- No drug therapy in primary care (Recognition & Referral)

## Complete treatment card

```text
LASSA FEVER
Sources: ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class AD14.05 -
         condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary
         care · Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf -
         https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560717/
Review status: REVIEWED against No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care, Lassa
               Fever - disease-level clinical article (lassa-fever-full.txt), Lassa
               Fever - disease-level clinical article (lassa-fever-clinical.txt)
               (2026-08)

IS IT THIS? - reference only, to read alongside your own examination
  SYMPTOMS - what the patient reports (3)
    - Fever, headache, and malaise are common nonspecific complaints  [fever · headache · malaise]
    - Pain behind the eyes, joint pain, red eyes, belly pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea are typical
      viral haemorrhagic fever features  [abdominal pain · diarrhoea · fever · joint pain ·
      vomiting]
    - Bleeding gums or nosebleeds may be reported  [gum bleeding · nosebleed]
  SIGNS - what you find (1)
    - Small pinpoint skin bleeding spots (petechiae) can be found on examination  [bleeding ·
      petechiae]
  TESTS (4)
    - Baseline labs include a full blood count with differential, a metabolic panel, blood typing
      and cross-match, coagulation studies, and liver function tests
    - A urine sample and culture, a chest film, and blood cultures screen for a bacterial cause
    - IgM/IgG serology can help but is less sensitive and specific than molecular testing
    - RT-PCR or viral culture confirms the diagnosis
  IF NOT THIS - what else fits (7)
    - Acute HIV infection
    - Chikungunya virus infection
    - Leptospirosis
    - Malaria infection
    - An underlying malignancy
    - Systemic lupus erythematosus
    - Typhoid fever
  Source  StatPearls "Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers" - disease-level clinical article
  Status  traced to the source above

1. NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (RECOGNITION & REFERRAL)[1st line]
   Adult    Viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa, not found in Egypt. Relevant only for a
            febrile traveller returning from an endemic country, who needs isolation and specialist
            referral rather than outpatient treatment. - Refer
   Peds     Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is
            implied.
   Source   No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
   Why      Viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa, not found in Egypt. Relevant only for a
            febrile traveller returning from an endemic country, who needs isolation and specialist
            referral rather than outpatient treatment.
   Caution  RED FLAG - Facial and neck oedema with severe pharyngitis and pleural/pericardial
            effusion: assess urgently and refer.
            Not endemic in Egypt. Relevant to a returning traveller or an imported case; consider
            the travel history before anything else.
            Any suspicion mandates isolation and immediate notification.
            No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and
            referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
            RED FLAG - Lassa virus can cause outbreaks with case fatality rates as high as 50%.
            RED FLAG - Staff caring for suspected patients must implement personal protective
            equipment and viral hemorrhagic fever isolation precautions to prevent nosocomial
            transmission.
            RED FLAG - Fever within about 3 weeks of travel to West Africa, or sore throat,
            bleeding, or shock.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.
```

---

Dawaa Reference is a reference for prescribers, not a medical device, and does not replace clinical judgement.

[Privacy policy](/privacy)