Ebola-like virus has been detected in England among people who recently returned from West Africa.
Gatekeepers News reports that two persons who are members of the same family have been confirmed to have Lassa fever. The UK has detected only 10 cases of rodent-borne disease since 2009.
It was also gathered that a third relative is suspected of having the Ebola-like disease, which kills around one in 100 people, but is awaiting confirmatory tests.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stressed there was no evidence of onward transmission among any of the cases.
One of the confirmed patients is being moved to the Royal Free Hospital in London to receive specialist care, while the second has already made a full recovery. The third probable case is being monitored by doctors locally at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at UKHSA said: “We can confirm that two cases of Lassa fever have been identified in England, and a further probable case is under investigation.
“The cases are within the same family and are linked to recent travel to West Africa.
“Cases of Lassa fever are rare in the UK and it does not spread easily between people. The overall risk to the public is very low.
“We are contacting the individuals who have had close contact with the cases prior to confirmation of their infection, to provide appropriate assessment, support and advice.
“The UKHSA and the NHS have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be reinforced.”
Dr Sir Michael Jacobs, a consultant in infectious diseases at the Royal Free London, where one of the patients is being cared for, added: “The Royal Free Hospital is a specialist centre for treating patients with viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Lassa fever.
“Our secure unit is run by a highly-trained and experienced team of doctors, nurses, therapists and laboratory staff and is designed to ensure our staff can safely treat patients with these kind of infections.
“People living in endemic areas of West Africa with high populations of rodents are most at risk of Lassa fever.
“Imported cases rarely occur elsewhere in the world. Such cases are almost exclusively in people who work in endemic areas in high-risk occupations such as medical or other aid workers.”
