Lassa fever remains a significant public health problem in many west African countries. Attack rates, case positivity rates, and case fatality rates are often in the double digits in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria.1–4 More than four in ten people infected die from the disease in Sierra Leone and Liberia.2 Designated a priority disease for epidemic preparedness by WHO,5 Lassa fever symptoms mimic those of malaria and other acute infectious diseases. Late presentation and low index of clinical suspicion delay clinical and laboratory diagnosis and worsen prognosis.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases published a clinical update in Infectious Disease on 07 Jan 2026. The item focuses on Lassa viral dynamics: implications for missed diagnosis. Open the detail page to review the full original feed content.