Two-year-old girl dies of Ebola in Mali

It has now been confirmed that a two-year-old girl who was Mali's first case of the deadly  Ebola virus died on Friday, 24th October 2014.

Mali’s Health Minister, Ousmane Kone had earlier expressed optimism, saying that the girls condition was improving but this unfortunate news has proven otherwise.

If you can recall, on the 20th of October,  a two-year-old girl and her grandmother came into Mali from their Ebola stricken neighbours,  Guinea where the girl was examined by a health care worker at Quartier Plateau in Kayes and was later referred to Fousseyni Daou Hospital for further analysis.

The little girl was then admitted to the paediatric ward with Ebola-like symptoms which included high fever, nose bleeding, blood in her stool and cough.

Test results later showed that she had come down with typhoid fever before samples were  taken to the SEREFO laboratory, Mali, and shortly after, it was confirmed that her illness was as a result of the deadly Ebola virus.

The case was investigated, thus revealing the travel history of the two which showed 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; not forgetting the fact that the child started showing symptoms while travelling through Mali.

Also, 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 some days in a place called Bagadadji.

Prior to the death of the child, the World Health Organisation warned that a large number of people could be in danger of contacting the disease due to the exposure of the sick girl while travelling.

Malian authorities alongside staff from the  US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and experts from the World Health Organisation are making vital efforts to trace all the possible primary contacts of the deceased in order to forestall a possible outbreak of the deadly disease in the country.

There has been more than 9,000 reported cases of the Deadly Ebola virus which has claimed the lives of more than 4,900 people around the world. The World Health Organisation has described it as a 'Global Public Health Emergency', meaning that we must all join hands to fight the disease.

Some months ago, a Liberian / American , Mr. Patrick Sawyer transported the disease into Nigeria. Not long after, the disease began to spread across the country, it looked like there was no way out for the people but with cooperation and determination, the spread was halted and now, Nigeria has been declared Ebola- free by the World Health Organisation.

This is solid proof that the war against the disease can be won if the right steps are taken. Member Nations of the UNO are already donating all sorts of supplies to Ebola stricken countries and it has been announced by the World Health Organisation that experimental drugs will soon be available to those countries.

Remember, Ebola kills fast but the fear kills faster, know the facts and stay alive. Avoid unnecessary contact with people, wash your hands regularly or use hand sanitizers.

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