Member-only story
The Town of Lassa and the Killer Virus
The history of Lassa Fever Virus and its future impact
Ebola gave the world a major scare in 2014. That was the year of one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in West Africa and its impact was far-reaching even causing a panic in the United States after 11 Ebola patients were diagnosed there.
However, not many people are aware that there are similar diseases to Ebola which pose just as great a risk to international travel as well as the increased chances of another epidemic.
One such disease first came to light in 1969 when three American missionary nurses in Nigeria, West Africa, were afflicted by severe symptoms. The symptoms included fever and weakness followed by a headache, body aches, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and cough. In the most extreme of cases, the disease caused bleeding in the gums, eyes, and nose, and finally death. This unknown and deadly disease came to be known as Lassa Fever.
Discovery of the Lassa Fever Virus
Lassa is a small town in Nigeria. In 1969, the Church of the Brethren, in the USA (United States of America), posted missionary nurse Laura Wine to Nigeria so that she could become the head of obstetrics at the Lassa Mission Hospital.
