1. On the front lines of Lassa fever.

2. Sexual transmission of Lassa virus has been reported.

3. Humans usually become infected with Lassa virus from exposure to excreta of infected Mastomys.

4. Lassa fever occurs in all age groups and in both men and women.

5. Civil unrest in many of the countries where Lassa fever is endemic has impeded effective control.

6. Lassa fever also causes a marked suppression of the immune system, an aspect of the disease that the researchers are tracking with the current marmoset vaccine study.

7. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Guinea (Conakry), Liberia, Sierra Leone and parts of Nigeria, but probably exists in other West African countries as well.

8. Prevention of Lassa fever in the community centers on promoting good "community hygiene" to discourage rodents from entering homes.

9. IN Lassa of Tibet there was a master's temple , rich in manuscripts of ancient lore.

10. Lassa viral haemorrhagic fever is an acute illness of 1-4 weeks duration that occurs in West Africa.

11. The animal reservoir, or host, of Lassa virus is a rodent of the genus Mastomys,() commonly known as the "multimammate rat."

12. The incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from 6-21 days.

13. Lassa fever is endemic to West Africa, the virus kills thousands of people each year.

14. On rare occasions, travellers from areas where Lassa fever is endemic export the disease to other countries.

15. Because the symptoms of Lassa fever are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease.

16. Mastomys infected with Lassa virus do not become ill, but they can shed the virus in their excreta (urine and faeces).

17. The antiviral drug ribavirin is effective treatment for Lassa fever if given early on in the course of clinical illness.

18. Lassa fever is diagnosed by detection of Lassa antigen, anti-Lassa antibodies, or virus isolation techniques.

19. Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease, meaning that humans become infected from contact with infected animals.

20. Lassa fever is difficult to distinguish from many other diseases which cause fever, including malaria, shigellosis, typhoid fever, yellow fever and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.

21. In 1969, a doctor at a Yale University lab in New Haven, Connecticut, who was studying Lassa fever came down with it.

22. The programme supports these three countries in developing national prevention strategies and enhancing laboratory diagnostics for Lassa fever and other dangerous diseases.

23. Scientists have developed the common marmoset monkey as a new animal model for Lassa fever research.

24. Some studies indicate that 300 000 to 500 000 cases of Lassa fever and 5000 deaths occur yearly across West Africa.

25. Human to human transmission can also occur when contacting with the blood, tissue, secretions, or excretions of an individual infected with the Lassa virus.

26. There is no evidence to support the role of ribavirin as post-exposure prophylactic treatment for Lassa fever.

27. "We don't know why it is so pathogenic. It is a new virus, not like Lassa," Lipkin told a news conference at a meeting of infectious disease experts.

28. Health care workers seeing a patient suspected to have Lassa fever should immediately contact local and national experts for advice and to arrange for laboratory testing.

29. In addition, a new ward dedicated to the care of patients with Lassa fever is under construction in Sierra Leone, sponsored by the European Union.

30. Routine barrier nursing precautions probably protect against transmission of Lassa virus in most circumstances.