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Abstract

In a patient transferred from Togo to Cologne, Germany, Lassa fever was diagnosed 12 days post mortem. Sixty-two contacts in Cologne were categorised according to the level of exposure, and gradual infection control measures were applied. No clinical signs of Lassa virus infection or Lassa specific antibodies were observed in the 62 contacts. Thirty-three individuals had direct contact to blood, other body fluids or tissue of the patients. Notably, with standard precautions, no transmission occurred between the index patient and healthcare workers. However, one secondary infection occurred in an undertaker exposed to the corpse in Rhineland-Palatinate, who was treated on the isolation unit at the University Hospital of Frankfurt. After German authorities raised an alert regarding the imported Lassa fever case, an American healthcare worker who had cared for the index patient in Togo, and who presented with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever, was placed in isolation and medevacked to the United States. The event and the transmission of Lassa virus infection outside of Africa underlines the need for early diagnosis and use of adequate personal protection equipment (PPE), when highly contagious infections cannot be excluded. It also demonstrates that larger outbreaks can be prevented by infection control measures, including standard PPE.

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/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.39.17-00088
2017-09-28
2025-07-22
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.39.17-00088
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Control measures following a case of imported Lassa fever from Togo, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, 2016
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Clara+Lehmann&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Lehmann Clara</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Matthias+Kochanek&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kochanek Matthias</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Diana+Abdulla&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Abdulla Diana</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Stephan+Becker&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Becker Stephan</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Boris+B%C3%B6ll&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Böll Boris</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Anne+Bunte&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Bunte Anne</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Daniel+Cadar&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Cadar Daniel</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Arno+Dormann&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Dormann Arno</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Markus+Eickmann&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Eickmann Markus</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Petra+Emmerich&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Emmerich Petra</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Torsten+Feldt&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Feldt Torsten</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Christina+Frank&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Frank Christina</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Jochen+Fries&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Fries Jochen</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Martin+Gabriel&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Gabriel Martin</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Udo+Goetsch&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Goetsch Udo</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ren%C3%A9+Gottschalk&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Gottschalk René</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Stephan+G%C3%BCnther&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Günther Stephan</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Michael+Hallek&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Hallek Michael</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Dieter+H%C3%A4ussinger&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Häussinger Dieter</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Christian+Herzog&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Herzog Christian</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Bj%C3%B6rn+Jensen&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Jensen Björn</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Felix+Kolibay&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kolibay Felix</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Michael+Krakau&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Krakau Michael</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Georg+Langebartels&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Langebartels Georg</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Toni+Rieger&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Rieger Toni</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Lars+Schaade&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Schaade Lars</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Jonas+Schmidt-Chanasit&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Schmidt-Chanasit Jonas</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Edgar+Sch%C3%B6mig&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Schömig Edgar</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Gundolf+Sch%C3%BCttfort&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Schüttfort Gundolf</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Alexander+Shimabukuro-Vornhagen&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Shimabukuro-Vornhagen Alexander</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Michael+von+Bergwelt-Baildon&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">von Bergwelt-Baildon Michael</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ulrike+Wieland&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Wieland Ulrike</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Gerhard+Wiesm%C3%BCller&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Wiesmüller Gerhard</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Timo+Wolf&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Wolf Timo</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Gerd+F%C3%A4tkenheuer&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Fätkenheuer Gerd</a></span>. Control measures following a case of imported Lassa fever from Togo, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, 2016. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2017;22(39):pii=17-00088. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.39.17-00088" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.39.17-00088</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 03 Feb 2017;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 26 May 2017 </span> </p>
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