#Lassa fever #symptomatology, viral dynamics, and host immune response (PREPARE): a prospective, observational cohort study in #Liberia
Summary Background Lassa virus (LASV) is a persistent threat to public health in west Africa and beyond . LASV is endemic in west Africa and each year it is responsible for an estimated 2·7 million infections, 23 700 hospitalisations, and 5000 deaths . With over 32 reported cases of Lassa fever imported into non-endemic countries—one-third of which were fatal—the importance of enhanced detection and management of Lassa fever extends beyond west Africa. Methods The prevalence, pathogenesis, and persistence (PREPARE) study was a prospective cohort study among patients admitted to two hospitals in a hyperendemic area of Liberia . Any patients aged 5 years or older with a febrile illness were eligible to enrol and be tested for Lassa fever. The study aimed to measure the prevalence of LASV infection and assess the signs and symptoms, LASV viral replication kinetics, and LASV-specific IgM and IgG responses longitudinally among adults and children with laboratory-confirmed Lassa fever....