Description of the situation
06 August 1999
Disease Outbreak Reported
On 5 August, the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin provided WHO with more details concerning the man hospitalized with suspected haemorrhagic fever, after returning from a trip to Côte d'Ivoire.
He left Germany on 17 July for Abidjan, then travelled to Bouaké to spend 2 weeks at a scientific research camp located in the Komoe National Park. He returned to Germany on 1 August.
The patient did not show any symptoms until he reached his home, so the Institute has concluded that the risk of person-to-person transmission to other passengers is minimal. All those who are known to have had direct contacts with him (either during the trip or after his arrival in Berlin) are under surveillance by the health authorities.
A range of tests were conducted to identify the infectious agent. Tests for the following were negative: Ebola, Hantavirus infection, Lassa fever, Marburg and malaria. The patient died on 6 August. The diagnosis of yellow fever by culture and PCR was confirmed today.