The UK has reported at least two cases of the potentially deadly Lassa fever for the first time in over a decade.
The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed two people have been diagnosed with Lassa fever in England, with a third currently being checked.
They are all part of the same family, living in the east of England, who recently travelled to west Africa.
One of the cases getting specialist treatment in the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust hospital and the other has recovered.
The cases are the ninth and tenth detected in the UK since 1980, and the first in 13 years, The Mirror reports.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at UKHSA, said: “We can confirm that two cases of Lassa fever have been identified in England, and a further probable case is under investigation.
“Cases of Lassa Fever are rare in the UK and it does not spread easily between people. The overall risk to the public is very low.
"We are contacting the individuals who have had close contact with the cases prior to confirmation of their infection, to provide appropriate assessment, support and advice."
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has confirmed that Lassa fever has never been diagnosed in a person in Ireland, but says it could be imported.
A post on its website reads: "It is possible that Lassa virus could be imported into Ireland in a traveller returning from an affected country. While the virus is primarily spread by contact with the urine and faeces of the multimammate rat, the virus can be spread through inhalation of the virus and by person to person spread via infected blood and body fluids."
The disease is similar to Ebola and is endemic in numerous countries in west Africa.
It is spread by food contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected multimammate rat, as well as human bodily fluid. Infection can also occur following inhalation of particles containing Lassa virus, such as from an infected person coughing.
The multimammate rat is commonly found in Africa and is not found in Ireland.
While most of the 300,000 to 500,000 people who catch the virus each year make a full recovery, around 5,000 die.
According to the HPSC, the time between infection and developing symptoms is between six and 21 days.
A post on its website reads: "Symptoms appear gradually and include fever, general weakness, tiredness, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough and stomach pain.
"Severe cases may have facial swelling, fluid in lungs, bleeding from multiple sites and low blood pressure. Shock, seizures, shaking, confusion and coma may occur in later stages.
"Elderly people and those with weakened immune systems e.g. people living with cancer, may have more severe symptoms, but full recovery is usual.
"Following recovery, the most common complication is deafness, which occurs in approximately 33% of cases. Patients can also experience temporary hair loss and develop an unusual way of walking during recovery.
"The overall case fatality rate is 1%. In those who are hospitalised, approximately 15-20% of patients die. The death rates are particularly high in women in the third trimester of pregnancy and in foetuses of infected mothers, 95% of whom die before birth."
In Ireland, Lassa virus can be detected in the blood and urine by PCR testing of infected individuals. This PCR test can be performed at the National Virus Reference Laboratory. However, serology is the mainstay of diagnosis and is carried out at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory in Porton Down in the UK.
Anyone returning to Ireland from an area where Lassa virus is circulating and becomes ill upon their return is advised to contact their doctor by phone and let them know of their recent travel history to an area where Lassa fever is circulating.
Lassa fever and Ebola, which continues to impact some communities primarily in eest Africa, are both haemorrhagic fevers.
For both symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, fatigue and vomiting, as well as bleeding from the gums, eyes and nose.
