virus was not Lassavirus and likely a previously unreported arenavirus. This was corroborated by full genome sequencing that was conducted by the NICD-NHLS, CDC and collaborators from Columbia University in New York. Distribution The distribution of this newly described arenavirus is uncertain. To date this virus has only been reported from a patient from Zambia and a subsequent nosocomial outbreak in South Africa. Transmission Viruses from the Arenaviridae family, to which Lujo virus belongs, almost always have a rodent reservoir, with one virus in the family having a bat reservoir. Contact with an infected rodent host, its urine or fecal matter, inhalation of dust with virus particles, or eating food containing remnants of the virus can result in human infection. Transmission can also occur via human-to-human contact, as evidenced by the 5 cases from 2008, but it is still not completely clear how the first case was contracted. Both bats and rodents should be considered possible contact points, just to be safe. Though it is not known for sure, it is speculated that the human-to-human transmission occurs from contact with bodily fluids. The incubation period is expected to be 7–13 days. Symptoms VHF symptoms appear similar to other viruses of the same family, such as Lassa fever. The known symptoms include swelling in the neck and face, sore throat, diarrhea, and a rash resembling measles on the face and body. Blood tests of those infected revealed elevated liver values, white blood cell counts that were first low and then elevated over time, and low platelet counts. Treatment In-depth research into Lujo virus and its treatment have been difficult because of the lack of economic and cultural stability of the regions where the only known cases have occurred. Under Treatment with oral ribavirin treatment, the patient 5 continued to deteriorate but the treatment shifted to i.v on day 8 it seemed to have cured the only surviving patient with Lujo Virus, but because the 5 affected in 2008 have been the only cases identified, there has not been much opportunity for further research. Phylogenetics Sequencing of the viral genome has shown that this virus belongs to the Old World arenavirus group. Comparisons with other viral genome sequences showed that this virus is equidistant from other Old World and New World arenaviruses. It is distantly similar to the other pathogenic African arenavirus, Lassa fever virus. Clinical This virus has been associated with