Lassa fever in pregnancy: Report of two maternal deaths in a tertiary center in the middle-belt region of Nigeria

Abstract

Lassa fever is endemic in West Africa, with an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 infections occurring annually and approximately 5,000 deaths. Two Lassa fever cases in pregnancy with maternal and fetal complications were presented. The age range was 20 to 30 years and the range of parity was 1 to 3. The duration of symptoms was 13 to 14 days. Clinical presentation and complications common to the two cases were fever, abnormal bleeding, cough/sore throat, anaemia, IUFD/Stillbirth, and maternal deaths. Others are vomiting, restlessness/confusion, hypotension and thrombocytopaenia. Major challenges encountered are late presentation, delay in confirming diagnosis and instituting definitive treatment, limited facility, and the impact of traditional and religious factors in safe burial for Lassa fever cases. In resource-constrained settings; diagnosis, treatment and surveillance for Lassa fever may be challenging. Early clinical suspicion and appropriate case management are critical for good reproductive outcome.

Keywords: Lassa fever; haemorrhagic fever; infection prevention; pregnancy outcome.