One person has died in Iowa from Lassa fever, the state health department said

(Reuters) – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services on Monday confirmed the death of a middle-aged Iowa resident from eastern Iowa from Lassa fever.

This person had just returned from a visit to West Africa, where it is believed that a person has the virus, said the National Department of Health.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to confirm the diagnosis of Lassa fever, the state health department said. The CDC said it assesses the risk to the general public to be very low.

Lassa fever is a viral disease common in West Africa, but rarely seen in the United States.

There have been eight travel-related cases of Lassa fever in the United States in the past 55 years, according to the Iowa health department.

In West Africa, the Lassa virus is carried by rats and is spread to humans through contact with the urine or droppings of infected rats.

About 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever and 5,000 related deaths occur in West Africa each year, according to the CDC.