Mali confirms its second fatal case of Ebola Virus Disease(EVD)

Mali’s Ministry of Health has confirmed the country’s second fatal case of Ebola virus disease.

The case occurred in a nurse who worked at a privately-run clinic in the capital city, Bamako.

The nurse, who was showing Ebola-like symptoms, was isolated on the evening of 10 November following suspicions of Ebola infection in a patient from Guinea who was treated at the clinic in late October. These suspicions were raised by an alert from health authorities in Guinea. The nurse died during the night of 11 November.

Testing was done at the biosafety level 3 laboratory in Bamako. In line with standard procedures, samples are being sent to a WHO-approved laboratory for confirmation and further virological  analysis.

Like Mali’s first case, this second case is associated with the outbreak in Guinea. Chains of transmission are being investigated by health officials and WHO staff in both Mali and Guinea.

The 2 confirmed cases in Mali are not linked. They arise from independent chains of transmission involving different villages and different families across the border in Guinea.

Source: World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ebola: Australia Suspends Visa to Affected Nations

Australia will temporarily suspend immigration from West African countries hit by the outbreak.

Immigration minister Scott Morrison said the Australia parliament will no longer process humanitarian and immigration visa applications from the affected countries in an attempt to stop the disease reaching the country. 

However, permanent visa holders who have not yet arrived in Australia will be required to submit to a 21-day quarantine period before arriving.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) president said the announcement came as a surprise. According to him, the chance of the disease entering the country through a migrant from the region was very low.
He added that "It's not necessarily a very well-focused decision and the government had sought the advice of "very few people,"

Sources: Aljazeera, CNN

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The First Ebola case in Mali

The Mali government has confirmed the first case of Ebola in the country.
It said a two-year-old girl had tested positive for the haemorrhagic virus. She recently returned from neighbouring Guinea.  Speaking on state television on Thursday, Malian Health Minister Ousmane Kone said the infected girl was being treated in the western town of Kayes.

She was brought to a local hospital on Wednesday and her blood sample was Ebola-positive, Mr Kone said.

The child and those who have come into contact with her have been put in quarantine.

The girl's mother died in Guinea a few weeks ago and the child was then brought by relatives to Mali, Reuters news agency quoted a health ministry official as saying.

Mali is now the sixth West African country to be affected by the latest Ebola outbreak - however Senegal and Nigeria have since been declared virus-free by the World Health Organization (WHO).   Read more: http://m.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29750723

Travelers and Ebola

I am using this medium to enlighten travelers that currently there is an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the following West African Countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. 

About Ebola

The Zaire strain of the Ebola virus causes EVD in humans, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. The symptoms of EVD are severe and can include high fever, muscle pain and weakness, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and in some cases, internal and external bleeding. There is currently vaccine trials to prevent Ebola (e.g ZMapp) but there is no proven safe and effective specific treatment for EVD. Care is largely supportive.