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One person dead in Iowa from Lassa fever, state health department states

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Providers on Monday confirmed the death of a middleaged eastern Iowa resident from Lassa fever.

The person had actually just recently returned from travel to West Africa, where it is believed the individual contracted the virus, the state health department stated.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to verify the diagnosis of Lassa fever, the state health department stated. The CDC said it assesses the danger to the public to be exceptionally low.

Lassa fever is a viral disease common in West Africa, however seldom seen in the United States.

There have actually been 8 travel-associated cases of Lassa fever in the United States in the past 55 years, according to the Iowa health department.

In West Africa, the Lassa infection is carried by rodents and spread to people through contact with urine or droppings of infected rodents.

About 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever and 5,000 associated deaths occur in West Africa each year, according to the CDC.

(source: Reuters)