Lassa fever

noun

Las·​sa fever ˈla-sə- 

: a disease especially of Africa that is caused by an arenavirus (species Lassa virus of the genus Arenavirus) and is characterized by a high fever, headaches, mouth ulcers, muscle aches, small hemorrhages under the skin, heart and kidney failure, and a high mortality rate

Examples of Lassa fever in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Named after the Nigerian town where the first cases of the disease were detected in 1969, Lassa fever is known to set in quickly once someone has been infected. —Addy Bink, The Hill, 29 Oct. 2024

Named for the Nigerian town where it was first identified in 1969, Lassa fever is thought to have sickened 10,000 people last year in Nigeria alone. —Byjon Cohen, science.org, 9 Aug. 2024

The current list includes: COVID-19; Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever; Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease; Lassa fever; Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and SARS; Nipah and henipaviral diseases; Rift Valley fever; Zika; Disease X. 3. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 17 Jan. 2024

That list also includes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever; the Ebola and Marburg viruses; Lassa fever; coronaviruses SARS, MERS, and COVID-19; henipaviruses, and Rift Valley fever. —Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 26 Apr. 2023

Autopsies have long been a source of breakthroughs in understanding new diseases, from HIV/AIDS and Ebola, to Lassa fever - and the medical community is counting on them to do the same for covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. —Author: Ariana Eunjung Cha, Anchorage Daily News, 1 July 2020

Word History

Etymology

Lassa, village in Nigeria

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

Lassa fever

noun

Las·​sa fever ˌlas-ə- 

: a disease especially of Africa that is caused by the Lassa virus and is characterized by a high fever, headaches, mouth ulcers, muscle aches, small hemorrhages under the skin, heart and kidney failure, and a high mortality rate