a Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment , University College London , London , UK.
b Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences , Tulane University , New Orleans , LA , USA.
Pathog Glob Health. 2017 Sep;111(6):276-288. doi: 10.1080/20477724.2017.1369643. Epub 2017 Sep 6.
Lassa fever (LF) is increasingly recognized by global health institutions as an important rodent-borne disease with severe impacts on some of West Africa's poorest communities. However, our knowledge of LF ecology, epidemiology and distribution is limited, which presents barriers to both short-term disease forecasting and prediction of long-term impacts of environmental change on Lassa virus (LASV) zoonotic transmission dynamics. Here, we synthesize current knowledge to show that extrapolations from past research have produced an incomplete picture of the incidence and distribution of LF, with negative consequences for policy planning, medical treatment and management interventions. Although the recent increase in LF case reports is likely due to improved surveillance, recent studies suggest that future socio-ecological changes in West Africa may drive increases in LF burden. Future research should focus on the geographical distribution and disease burden of LF, in order to improve its integration into public policy and disease control strategies.
拉沙热（LF）越来越受到全球卫生机构的重视，被认为是一种重要的啮齿动物传播疾病，对西非一些最贫困社区造成了严重影响。然而，我们对 LF 的生态学、流行病学和分布的了解有限，这给短期疾病预测以及预测环境变化对拉沙病毒（LASV）人畜共患病传播动态的长期影响都带来了障碍。在这里，我们综合了现有知识，表明从过去的研究中推断出的结论并不完整，无法准确反映 LF 的发病率和分布情况，这对政策规划、医疗和管理干预措施产生了负面影响。尽管最近 LF 病例报告的增加可能是由于监测工作的改善，但最近的研究表明，未来西非社会-生态环境的变化可能会导致 LF 负担的增加。未来的研究应侧重于 LF 的地理分布和疾病负担，以提高其纳入公共政策和疾病控制策略的程度。
