WHO has received reports of an outbreak of Lassa fever in Kenema district. Exact numbers of cases and deaths are not currently available. Preliminary laboratory testing performed by the WHO Collaborating Centers, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa has confirmed Lassa fever infection.
A team from WHO headquarters and the WHO Country Office is assessing the situation and the need to conduct further investigations, assisting patient management in the isolation units of Kenema hospital, and identifying measures to control the outbreak.
