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The private Hygeia hospital in Athens has admitted a Dutch tourist because of concerns that he is infected with a "forgotten" infectious disease, as reported by the online edition tovima.gr.

The medical team initially thought that the 79-year-old man had symptoms of severe diarrhoea, but very quickly, his condition significantly deteriorated. Now they are exploring the possibility of him being infected with the atypical vibrio cholerae strain.

Sources say that the Dutchman and his wife were on holiday on Kos island when the first symptoms appeared. At first, he was admitted to the local hospital but transported to the Athens hospital on Wednesday where he was subjected to intubation. The samples taken from him have been sent to a specialized laboratory in Larissa for examination. The aim is to ascertain whether he is infected with the vibrio cholerae strain or with an adjacent strain. The results will be ready early next week.

After the Greek media disseminated the case, Hygeia hospital issued an official message stating that the tourist was transported from Kos by private plane on 27 September in the afternoon. "From the first moment the patient was accommodated in a special room of the intensive care unit of the hospital where all the necessary specialized security measures had been taken. The patient is taking medicines in accordance with the directives of the World Health Organization and the standards of the Joint Commission International organization.

The Centre for Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention has been informed of the case and the necessary samples have been sent to the Central Health Laboratory for analysis. We are waiting for the final results."

An expert team left for Kos today to establish if there are other cases of infection on the island. The lists of the tourist’s companions en route to Greece are under investigation as well.