Table 1.
Characteristics of suspected and confirmed Lassa fever cases in Gondama referral hospital, Bo, Sierra Leone (April 2011- February 2012)
| All suspects n (%) | Laboratory confirmed cases n (%) | Laboratory negative cases n (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 84 | 36 | 48 |
| Gender | |||
| Female | 38 (45) | 16 (44) | 22 (46) |
| Age, years (n=83)a | |||
| <2 | 34 (40) | 13 (36) | 21 (44) |
| 2–5 | 28 (33) | 11 (31) | 17 (35) |
| >5–15 | 10 (12) | 5 (14) | 5 (10) |
| >15 | 11 (13) | 7 (19) | 4 (8) |
| Diagnosis at admission | |||
| Malariab (all cases) | 42 (50) | 20 (56) | 22 (46) |
| Malaria only | 23 (27) | 9 (25) | 14 (29) |
| Malaria and pneumonia | 19 (23) | 11 (31) | 8 (17) |
| Pneumonia only | 3 (4) | 3 (8) | 0 |
| Obstetric related | 10 (12) | 7 (19) | 3 (6) |
| Others | 10 (12) | 6 (17) | 4 (8) |
| Missing | 19 (23) | 0 | 19 (40) |
| Most common symptoms/abnormalities at the time of suspicion of Lassa feverc | |||
| Abnormal bleeding | 44 (52) | 18 (50) | 26 (54) |
| Swollen neck or face | 27 (32) | 12 (33) | 15 (31) |
| Conjunctivitis or sub-conjunctival hemorrhage | 8 (10) | 5 (14) | 3 (6) |
| Proteinuria | 34 (40) | 17 (47) | 17 (35) |
| Laboratory testing for Lassa fever | |||
| Agc,d(+)/IgM (-) | 14 (39) | 0 | |
| Ag (+)/IgM (+) | 12 (33) | 0 | |
| IgM (+)/Ag (-) | 10 (28) | 0 |
a One missing data.
b Including 3 patients with unknown RDT results.
c Symptoms not mutually exclusive.
d Includes one case where diagnosis was made using Lassa fever RDT.