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Lassa fever

a severe form of epidemic fever first identified in Lassa, nigeria. It is caused by the lassa virus, a member of arenaviridae. The illness is characterised by high fever, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash (with haemorrhages), headache, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. A rat serves as a reservoir for the illness, but person to person transmission is also reported.