German man first to contract Lassa fever outside Africa

An undertaker now being treated in Frankfurt has become the first person ever to contract Lassa fever outside of Africa.
Medical specialists reported on Thursday that the man, from Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, is severely ill, but they are still optimistic about his recovery.
The man had worked at a funeral home and had come into contact with the corpse of a dead US citizen who had worked in Togo as a nurse and was then living in Cologne. He had died on February 26th - his cause of death then unknown - and was brought to the Alzey funeral home on March 3rd to be transported back to Togo.
Less than a week later, the Cologne University Hospital discovered that the American had been sick with Lassa. The undertaker had been the only one in contact with the body and tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.
Like Ebola, Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness and is known to exist in West Africa. Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting and in severe cases facial swelling, as well as bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).