The NHS in the East of England has declared a major incident after a patient was treated in a hospital in Cambridge for Lassa fever forcing staff to self isolate.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Friday confirmed the first death from Lassa fever had occurred and a third case from the East of England identified. The public health authority have advised staff who were in direct contact with one of the three patients to self-isolated.
In a statement on Friday the NHS said: “The risk to public health from Lassa fever is very low. Lassa fever is spread through contact with infected bodily fluids. It is not spread by air.
“UKHSA advice is that some staff at the hospitals where the patients have been treated may need to undergo testing and wear more personal protective equipment (PPE) than normal. Staff in direct contact with confirmed cases will have to self-isolate for a period of time. This is standard procedure and precautionary only.
“Because of the impact this will have on staffing key services in our region we have declared a regional major incident. This allows the region’s healthcare systems to work together to keep services running safely.
“Some hospital services will be affected, with a number of services either postponed or moved to a different location. Patients that are affected by this will be contacted directly.”
According to reports in the Health Service Journal , Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was force to close a “substantial” portion of its critical care capacity due to staff being told to self isolate after being in contact with one of the patients.
The first death from Lassa fever to occur in the UK was confirmed on Friday after a person from Bedfordshire died. All identified cases are from the same family in the east of England and are linked to recent travel to west Africa, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
A person from Bedfordshire has died after catching Lassa fever, with the total number of confirmed cases in England now up to three, health officials have said. The patient was being treated by Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
One of the cases identified has recovered according the UKHSA officials, and the other is being treated at Royal Free London Foundation Trust.
UKHSA is contacting individuals who have had close contact with the cases prior to confirmation of their infection. The risk to the general public remains very low, the agency added.
“The UKHSA and the NHS have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be reinforced,” said Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at UKHSA.
Since 1980, there have been eight cases of Lassa fever imported into the UK, with the last two cases occurring in 2009.
