Dawaa Reference

chronic

Lassa Fever

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class AD14.05 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care · Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560717/

Verified against3 documents
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
  • Lassa Fever - disease-level clinical article (lassa-fever-full.txt)
  • Lassa Fever - disease-level clinical article (lassa-fever-clinical.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (3)

  • Fever, headache, and malaise are common nonspecific complaints [fever · headache · malaise]
  • Pain behind the eyes, joint pain, red eyes, belly pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea are typical viral haemorrhagic fever features [abdominal pain · diarrhoea · fever · joint pain · vomiting]
  • Bleeding gums or nosebleeds may be reported [gum bleeding · nosebleed]

Signs — what you find (1)

  • Small pinpoint skin bleeding spots (petechiae) can be found on examination [bleeding · petechiae]

Tests (4)

  • Baseline labs include a full blood count with differential, a metabolic panel, blood typing and cross-match, coagulation studies, and liver function tests
  • A urine sample and culture, a chest film, and blood cultures screen for a bacterial cause
  • IgM/IgG serology can help but is less sensitive and specific than molecular testing
  • RT-PCR or viral culture confirms the diagnosis

If not this — what else fits (7)

  • Acute HIV infection
  • Chikungunya virus infection
  • Leptospirosis
  • Malaria infection
  • An underlying malignancy
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Typhoid fever

SourceStatPearls "Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (RECOGNITION & REFERRAL)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

Viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa, not found in Egypt. Relevant only for a febrile traveller returning from an endemic country, who needs isolation and specialist referral rather than outpatient treatment. - Refer

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

Viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa, not found in Egypt. Relevant only for a febrile traveller returning from an endemic country, who needs isolation and specialist referral rather than outpatient treatment.

Cautions
  • RED FLAG - Facial and neck oedema with severe pharyngitis and pleural/pericardial effusion: assess urgently and refer.
  • Not endemic in Egypt. Relevant to a returning traveller or an imported case; consider the travel history before anything else.
  • Any suspicion mandates isolation and immediate notification.
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
  • RED FLAG - Lassa virus can cause outbreaks with case fatality rates as high as 50%.
  • RED FLAG - Staff caring for suspected patients must implement personal protective equipment and viral hemorrhagic fever isolation precautions to prevent nosocomial transmission.
  • RED FLAG - Fever within about 3 weeks of travel to West Africa, or sore throat, bleeding, or shock.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.