New research out of the University of Texas Medical Branch potentially points to an effective treatment for Lassa fever, a dangerous, often fatal disease common to much of West Africa but considered a major threat to global health.
In a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UTMB’s scientists document how a new drug from Zalgen Labs successfully cured cynomolgus monkeys infected with Lassa virus.
There currently is no approved treatment for the disease, which is estimated to infect 300,000 to 500,000 people a year across the region and cause at least 5,000 deaths annually.
Women and children are at the highest risk from Lassa fever, which is characterized by bleeding and coagulation abnormalities, with overall mortality rates exceeding 25 percent and reaching 50 percent during epidemics.
Exposure to infected animals is the most common cause of infection in humans. A recent study that identified the top 50 agents with pandemic potential, Lassa fever was ranked first among known viruses regarded as a threat for zoonotic spillover.
Though less common, human-to-human transmission is caused through exposure to blood or secretions and through sexual contact.
Those in the early stages of the disease often show mild or no symptoms and therefore tend not to seek help until their condition is advanced. About 20 percent of patients progress to viral hemorrhagic fever.