The first person in the UK has died of rare rat-borne virus Lassa Fever, with two other cases identified.
The UK Health Security Agency announced the third case today and sadly confirmed it had proved fatal, with Bedfordshire Hospital NHS Trust stating that the patient was in their care.
The three cases were all from the same East England family, who had recently travelled back from a trip in West Africa, where the virus is most endemic.
Similar to Ebola, Lassa fever is an an acute viral haemorrhagic sickness caused by Lassa virus.
As reported by the Mirror, the illness spreads from the urine and faeces of infected rats in contaminated food and household items.
You can also catch it through contact with infected bodily fluids.
Symptoms begin with headaches, sore throats and vomiting, but it can also trigger bleeding from the mouth, nose or vagina.
Without prompt treatment, the illness can progress to shock, seizures, comas and temporary deafness.
A UK Health Security Agency statement said: "The UK Health Security Agency can confirm that the probable case of Lassa fever under investigation is now confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to three. Sadly, this individual has died.
"We are contacting the individuals who have had close contact with the cases prior to confirmation of their infection, to provide appropriate assessment, support and advice.
"The risk to the general public remains very low."
A hospital trust spokesperson said: “We confirm the sad death of a patient at our trust, who had confirmed Lassa fever.
"We send our deepest condolences to their family at this difficult time.
“We will continue to support the patient’s family and our staff and are working closely with colleagues from the UK Health Security Agency to undertake a robust contact tracing exercise.”
The three cases are the first in over a decade in Britain.
The disease is similar to Ebola and is endemic in numerous West African nations.
While most of the 300,000 to 500,000 people who catch the virus each year make a full recovery, around 5,000 die.
One of the UK cases was whisked to the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust hospital for specialist treatment.
The other two both went to Bedfordshire.
Dr Sir Michael Jacobs, consultant in infectious diseases at the Royal Free London, said: "People living in endemic areas of West Africa with high populations of rodents are most at risk of Lassa fever.
"Imported cases rarely occur elsewhere in the world."
He added that if it does spread beyond the endemic areas it's usually among high-risk occupations like medical or aid workers.
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