Is Lassa fever contagious between people?

Lassa fever can spread person-to-person, but is far less contagious than diseases like measles or COVID-19. Transmission requires direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces, vomit, or other bodily fluids of an infected person — casual contact, sharing air, or coughing do not spread the virus. Healthcare workers who treat Lassa patients without adequate PPE are at significant risk. Sexual transmission is documented during convalescence because the virus persists in semen for up to three months. Large household clusters are uncommon; most secondary cases occur in healthcare settings without strict infection control. This is in contrast to Ebola, which has caused much larger nosocomial clusters.