Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025122 (Poster 104) | Published: 05 Aug 2025
Isaac Ihinmikaye1,&, Olufemi Oladele Ayodeji1, Adetumi Adetunji Subulade2, Olalekan Ojo3, Liasu Adeagbo Ahmed4, Temitope Emmanuel Taiwo1
1Infection Control and Research Centre, Federal Medical Centre Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria, 2Department Of Community Health, Federal Medical Centre Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria, 3Department of Internal Medicine, Federal Medical Centre Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria, 4Department of Family Medicine, Federal Medical Centre Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Isaac Ihinmikaye, Infection Control and Research Centre, Federal Medical Centre Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria, Email: isaacihinmikaye@gmail.com ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6375-5247
Received: 31 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 05 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa fever, Ocular, Sequelae, Survivor, Isolation centre
©Isaac Ihinmikaye, et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Isaac Ihinmikaye, et al., Ocular sequelae in a Lassa fever survivor at FMC Owo isolation centre, Ondo State, Nigeria. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00248. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO5-00248
Lassa fever is an acute zoonotic, highly contagious, often fatal haemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the Arenaviridae family. The disease symptoms vary from mild flu-like illness to severe multi-organ dysfunctions caused by fever, vascular permeability, plasma volume depletion, coagulation abnormalities, and varying degrees of haemorrhage.
This is a case report showcasing the ocular manifestation and complication developed by a female undergraduate with Lassa fever, with admitting CT values of 28.56 and 26.87 on the G and L genes respectively. Clinical presentation includes fever, abdominal pain, and abnormal bleeding from both the vagina and injection sites. She had visual impairment of her left eye; with further investigations revealing a left vitreous haemorrhage with complicated cataract and suspected retinal detachment and glaucoma of the right eye. She had cataract extraction done but still unable to see with her left eye; necessitating her referral for retinal surgery.
This case illustrates a severe, irreversible ocular complication of Lassa fever, a contrast to the transient conjunctival or anterior segment involvement previously reported.5 The patient’s vitreous hemorrhage, cataract, and retinal detachment suggest profound vascular and inflammatory damage, possibly mediated by Lassa virus-induced endothelial injury and coagulopathy. This case parallels rare reports of haemorrhagic retinopathy in other viral haemorrhagic fevers like Ebola, implying a shared mechanism of vascular leakage and immune-mediated damage.
This clinical case lends credence to the ocular manifestations of Lassa fever, with the permanent visual loss seen highlighting the far-reaching ophthalmic complication of Lassa fever. This calls for awareness to ensure early ophthalmological assessment, as well as long-term follow-up of those affected post-recovery. Further studies are needed to explore Lassa virus’ ocular tropism, biomarkers of risk, and the role of antivirals and steroids in mitigating inflammation.
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