Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Mali as Death Toll Rises
Mali public health officials are saying that they have identified the country's first possible cases of Ebola since neighboring country Guinea first began reporting an outbreak of the deadly virus.
From what the Medicins San Frontieres (MSF) medical charity organization called an "unprecedented" and difficult to contain outbreak, Guinea and its bordering neighbors have already reported more than 90 deaths related to the deadly virus.
MSF officials reported on Monday that Guinea's Ebola virus -- which was originally only found in isolated villages of remote South Guinea -- had spread to the citizens of Conakry, the country's seaside capital and largest city. World Health Organization (WHO) officials have reported that five of 16 Ebola cases in Conakry have already died.
Following this news, the bordering countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone started reporting suspected cases of the virus, with Liberia reporting an initial seven deaths associated with Ebola exposure.
Liberia's health minister, Walter Gwenegale announced in a statement on Friday that containment efforts with help from the MSF are underway in the country min hopes of preventing an outbreak of Guinea's scale.
Now neighboring country Mali has added itself the list of infected West African countries, placing three people in quarantine after they began exhibiting Ebola infection-like symptoms.
According to a Mali government television announcement on Thursday, samples have been taken from the suspected cases and have been sent to experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) based in Atlanta, U.S.A. for testing.
Ebola, which is currently also affecting Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is commonly found in remote parts of central and West Africa, particularly near tropical rainforests.
According to the WHO, the deadly virus is known to cause hemorrhagic fever outbreaks that have a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus, and it is suspected that the Guinea virus orignated from the consumption of these bats.
© MD News Daily.