Lassa fever

Contact tracing

Contact tracing of individuals, including those who have travelled with, lived with, or cared for an individual with Lassa fever within the last 21 days and who are asymptomatic, should be assessed and provided with post-exposure prophylaxis with oral ribavirin if they meet the following criteria for high-risk exposure:[38]Bausch DG, Hadi CM, Khan SH, et al. Review of the literature and proposed guidelines for the use of oral ribavirin as postexposure prophylaxis for Lassa fever. Clin Infect Dis. 2010;51:1435-41. http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/51/12/1435.long http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058912?tool=bestpractice.com

• Penetration of skin by a contaminated instrument

• Mucous membrane or broken skin exposure

• Participation in emergency procedures without use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

• Prolonged and continuous exposure in an enclosed space without use of appropriate PPE.

These individuals should be monitored for the duration of the incubation period (i.e., 21 days) in order to ensure rapid recognition of symptoms followed by immediate isolation.

The World Health Organization has produced guidance on contact tracing for Ebola, and this can be followed for Lassa fever:

WHO: implementation and management of contact tracing for Ebola virus disease Opens in new window