Health officials are currently investigating the death of an Iowa resident on Monday as a suspected case of Lassa fever, a rare viral disease in the U.S. The patient had recently returned from West Africa and was not symptomatic during travel, minimizing the risk to fellow passengers.
Lassa fever is not transmitted through casual contact and patients are not considered infectious before symptoms appear. The patient was admitted to the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center and tested positive for Lassa fever by the Nebraska Laboratory Response Network.
