25 July 2006

 

Imported case of Lassa fever in Germany

On 20 July 2006, a 68 year old man, who travelled from Sierra Leone to Germany, was diagnosed with Lassa fever [1, 2]. He has a history of a progressive neurologic condition, but on 5 July he developed fever with worsening neurologic symptoms. On 10 July he travelled by air from Freetown, Sierra Leone via Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire to Brussels. He changed planes in Brussels and flew to Frankfurt where he arrived on 11 July. Immediately upon arrival he was evaluated in hospital in Münster, Germany where a diagnosis of Lassa fever was made by antibody detection and PCR for Lassa virus on 20th July. He is currently being treated in a special facility in Frankfurt.

Passengers who were on the same flights as the patient are being traced and contacted by public health authorities throughout Europe. The risk to fellow passengers is judged to be very low. Since 1970 at least 16 cases of Lassa fever have been imported into Europe and North America, and in none of these cases was transmission to another person reported [2]. The last case of Lassa fever imported into the UK was in 2003 in a soldier who had been serving in Sierra Leone [3].

In the UK, contact tracing is being coordinated by the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, Colindale. Passengers who were on the relevant flights (detailed in references 1 and 2 below) and who develop fever up until 2 August 2006, should contact their physician and notify them of their travel history and their symptoms.

General information about Lassa fever is available on the HPA website at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/VHF/menu.htm or from the World Health Organization at www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs179/en/.

References

1. European Centre for Disease Control. Lassa fever case in Germany: alert issued concerning airline passengers who flew with infected man. 24 July 2006 [cited 25 July 2006]. Available at: http://www.ecdc.eu.int/

2. Case of Lassa fever imported into Germany from Sierra Leone. e-alert 24 July 2006 [cited 25 July 2006]. Eurosurveillance Weekly. 2006. Available at: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/index-02.asp

3. Lassa fever in a UK soldier recently returned from Sierra Leone - e-alert 10 February. Eurosurveillance Weekly [1812-075X]. 2003 Feb 6;2(6) 030206. Available from: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ew/2003/030206.asp#1