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Displaying 1 - 10 of 18 results.

Lassa Fever: a rodent-human interaction

This resource examines the sites of interactions between humans and the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis. It presents findings such as new arenaviruses in other African rodents and in snakes, that  argue preferably toward the host-switching concept. The recent emergence in Sierra Leone, the absence of virus positive Mastomys between the two endemic zones and poor virus diversity in the Mano River area also point in the direction of a unique import of Lassa virus from Nigeria to Sierra Leone during the 19th century. This resource also discusses the hypothesis of human displacements through the Atlantic slave trade and its abolition in 1807.

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Diversity and dynamics in a community of small mammals in coastal Guinea, West Africa

This resource investigated three villages in high endemic zones of Lassa fever in Guinea and presents the biodeiversity of the small mammal community identified through standardized trapping in houses, cultivations and forest.

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Case-control study of Mastomys natalensis and humans in Lassa virus-infected households in Sierra Leone

This resource studied Lassa virus infection and antibodies in households where Lassa fever cases occurred and compared these to those in the nearest neighbour houses and "far" houses located across the village. It reports on rodent infection and human anti-body prevalence. 

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Housing equity for health equity: A rights-based approach to the control of Lassa fever in post-war Sierra Leone

This resource focuses on Lassa fever as a matter of human rights, proposing a strategy to improve housing quality, and discusses how housing equity has the potential to improve health equity and ultimately economic productivity in Sierra Leone. The paper is designed to spur discussion and action towards the provision of housing as part of efforts to prevent disease.

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Forecasting rodent outbreaks in Africa: an ecological basis for Mastomys control in Tanzania

This study collected rainfall data preceding historical outbreaks of Mastomys rats in East Africa in order to test the hypothesis that such outbreaks occur after long dry periods. It found that rodent outbreaks were generally not preceded by long dry period and the population dynamics of Mastomys natalensis rats in Tanzania are significantly affected by the distribution of rainfall during the rainy season.

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Acute sensorineural deafness in Lassa fever

This resource describes a prospective audiometric evaluation of 69 hospitalized febrile patients in Sierra Leone, West Africa, that revealed a sensorineural hearing deficit (SNHD) in 14 (29%) of 49 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and in 0 of 20 febrile controls. This study found that lassa fever is associated with an incidence of SNHD, which considerably exceeds that previously reported with any other postnatally acquired infection.

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Therapy management: Concept, reality, process

This resource described the two concepts of "therapy management" (diagnosis, selection, and evaluation of treatment, as well as support of the sufferer) and "therapy management group" (the set of individuals who take charge of therapy management with or on behalf of the sufferer) as developed in medical anthropology research in Central Africa. It explores their historical development, current use by researchers, and potential future uses in contextually sensitive analyses. 

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Lassa fever–induced sensorineural hearing loss: A neglected public health and social burden

This resource summarises clinical findings of hearing loss in Lassa fever (LF) patients highlighting the association between Lassa virus infection and sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), as well as the potential mechanism(s) for LF-induced SNHL. The study highlights that further research is necessary to identify the mechanism and the epidemiology of LF-induced SNHL.

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Sensorineural hearing loss in Lassa fever: Two case reports

This resource reports on two female patients aged 19 and 43 years old with clinical features suggestive of Lassa fever and confirmed by immunoserological/Lassa-virus-specific reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Both patients developed severe sensorineural hearing loss at acute phases of the infections.

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At home with Mastomys and Rattus: Human-rodent interactions and potential for primary transmission of Lassa virus in domestic spaces

In this study housing characteristics and domestic organization were fund to have an impact on the direct and indirect, intentional and unintentional contact with rodents indoors. More research on housing and environmental modification, as well as food storage are important for prevention against LASV transmission.

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