Assessing the Environmental Drivers of Lassa Fever in West Africa: A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT: The spread of Lassa virus in West Africa is reliant on the abundance and distribution of its rodent host reservoirs. While the impact of environmental change on viral spread has been studied for many zoonotic viruses, there is still a limited understanding of how seasonal impacts, land-use conversion, and biodiversity loss influence the expansion of Lassa virus among reservoirs. This systematic review synthesizes existing research on the association between environmental variables and Lassa virus circulation in West Africa to inform future research, public health interventions, and One Health policy. We searched international and African scientific databases using a set of pre-defined search terms to obtain publications reporting on Lassa virus in West Africa between 1969 and 2023. A total

SUBMITTER: Davis NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12031034 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature