Death from Ebola-like virus reported in Iowa after travel to West Africa

A person from Iowa who recently returned to the United States from West Africa died Monday from a rare viral hemorrhagic fever that can be transmitted among humans through infected body fluids, state health authorities said.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services confirmed a “middle-aged eastern Iowa resident” died of Lassa fever. The individual had traveled to West Africa, where they likely contracted the virus after possibly coming into contact with rodents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.