An Iowa resident who returned to the United States from travel to West Africa died Monday of a rare hemorrhagic fever, health officials said.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the death of a “middle-aged eastern Iowa resident” was confirmed from Lassa fever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to confirm the diagnosis.

Lassa fever is a viral disease common in West Africa, but rarely seen in the United States. In West Africa, the Lassa virus is carried by rodents and spread to humans through contact with........

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