An American doctor with a suspected case of Lassa fever, working with missionaries in Togo, has been moved to an isolation ward at an Atlanta hospital on Friday, an official said.
The patient, who has not been identified publicly, was being flown in a specially equipped aircraft from Togo and was expected to arrive at Emory University Hospital this weekend, officials said.
Lassa fever has been endemic in Africa for many years, with up to 300,000 infections annually.
An outbreak of Lassa fever is now underway in Nigeria, according to the World Health Organisation, and it is starting to spread to nearby countries including Togo.
According to a WHO statement, 159 suspected cases of Lassa fever and 82 deaths were reported between August 2015 and January 2016.
Some media reports have said as many as 101 people have died as of February.
Like Ebola, Lassa causes a severe fever with bleeding.
It is most commonly transmitted to people from rodent excrement, and it can be transmitted from person to person by contact with blood or bodily fluid.
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