Two cases of Ebola-like virus Lassa Fever detected in England

Lassa Fever is spread by rats and can cause serious illness (Picture: Shutterstock / Kateryna Kon)

A third probable case connected to the same family is being investigated in the East of England, health officials said.

They are the first confirmed cases of the serious disease in the country in more than a decade and there have been only eight in total since 1980.

The UK Health Security Agency, which is in charge of investigating the outbreak, stressed that human-to-human transmission is rare and most people make a full recovery.

It is believed the cases are all within the same family who recently returned from West Africa, where the virus is endemic.

One of the patients has already recovered while the other is being transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in London for specialist care.

The third probable case is being treated at the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The agency described Lassa fever as an ‘acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus’.