Diagnosis

· The clinical syndrome of Lassa fever is difficult to distinguish from severe malaria, septicaemia (infections of the bloodstream), yellow fever and other viral haemorrhagic fevers (e.g., Ebola). Inflammation of the throat with white tonsillar patches is an important distinguishing feature.

· Definitive diagnosis requires testing that is available only in highly specialized laboratories. Laboratory specimens may be biohazardous and must be handled with extreme care at the highest level biosafety containment.

Treatment Specific treatment with the anti-viral drug, ribavirin may be effective if given within the first six days of illness. Ribavirin should be given intravenously for ten days.