Mali Confirms First Case Of Ebola

The very first case of the deadly Ebola disease has been confirmed in another African country, Mali. Mali’s Health Ministry confirmed the case on the 21st of October 2014 after lab results from PCR testing was carried out on the suspect who turned out positive. Samples where later sent to the World Health Organisation for further testing and confirmation.

Mali’s Health Minister, Ousmane Kone, addressed the media where he revealed that the patient was a two-year-old girl who came into the country, accompanied by her grandmother from their Ebola stricken neighbours, Guinea.

The minister also went further to indicate that the girl's condition is improving due to early detection and treatment. He also stated that primary contacts of the girls have been identified and taken care of.

Further investigations have revealed that the girl's grandmother, on the 19th of October, 2014 journeyed to Kissidougou, Guinea from her home in Mali to attend a burial ceremony.

The two then made their way back to Mali via public transport through Keen, Kankan, Sigouri, Kouremale before arriving at Bamako. It has also been revealed that the child started showing symptoms while travelling through Mali.

An anonymous source in the health ministry stated that the child’s mother had died in Guinea a few weeks ago before the girl was brought to Mali where she spent 10 days in a place called Bagadadji. 

A day before the case was confirmed, she was examined by a health care worker at Quartier Plateau in Kayes, Mali and was later referred to Fousseyni Daou Hospital where the little girl was admitted to the paediatric ward with Ebola-like symptoms which included high fever, nose bleeding, blood in her stool and cough.  

Test results on the girl showed that she had come down with typhoid fever but efforts to revive her were futile. Samples were later taken to the SEREFO laboratory where it was confirmed that the illness was as a result of the deadly Ebola virus 

43 contacts, including 10 health-care workers have been traced and quarantined in an isolation facility where  they will be watched closely to prevent further spread of the disease.

The girl is currently being treated in an isolation centre with properly trained health-care workers to take good care of her.

In an attempt to curb the situation, the Malian Authorities have requested supplies from the World Health Organisation Including training their staff in Ebola Management, helping out in more sophisticated activities like contact tracing and proper investigation of the case. 

Prior to this unfortunate event, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) including an infection control expert and logistician from WHO were already on ground to ready the the people in case of any Ebola in the country. Other staff from World Health Organisation to be deployed to the country will include epidemiologists, a clinical management team, a contact tracing team, a logistics and social mobilization team.

The Deadly Ebola disease has claimed the lives of more than 4,900 people and has been described by World Health Organisation  as a 'Global Public Health Emergency'.

Symptoms of the disease include high fever, sore throat, diarrhoea, bleeding from the nose/mouth and cough. The diseases can be gotten through contact with body fluids of already sick persons, contact with monkey/Fruit bats/ Monkeys which are hosts of the virus.