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Ars Technica recently published an in-depth article on the history of Lassa fever in Sierra Leone, highlighting the important role that Dr. Aniru Conteh, a senior physician at the Kenema Government Hospital’s Lassa ward, played in treating Lassa patients both during and after the civil war.

Dr. Conteh’s impact extended well beyond his immediate patients and community. Much of the early research that was conducted on the deadly Lassa virus during the 90s was made possible by Dr. Conteh’s collaboration with researchers from the Centers of Disease Control.

The article also describes how Dr. Robert Garry of Tulane Medical School in New Orleans founded the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium to continue research and develop diagnostics for Lassa fever.

Read the full article in Ars technica.