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Yesterday afternoon, in Reuters: Mali Reports 1st Confirmed Ebola Case, we got confirmation on a positive Ebola test for a toddler – recently in Guinea – making Mali the sixth African nation affected by this current Ebola outbreak.
Through great effort and no small amount of luck, previous introductions into Nigeria and Senegal were successfully contained, but concerns run high anytime a new country is affected.
Today, in short order, we have a detailed update from the World Health Organization, who state the child traveled extensively with a relative while symptomatic – including on public conveyances – and that numerous high-risk exposures may have occurred.
They consider the situation in Mali an emergency.
Mali confirms its first case of Ebola
Ebola situation assessment - 24 October 2014
Mali’s Ministry of Health has confirmed the country’s first case of Ebola virus disease. The Ministry received positive laboratory results, from PCR testing, on Thursday and informed WHO immediately. In line with standard procedures, samples are being sent to a WHO-approved laboratory for further testing and diagnostic work.
Details about the case
In telephone conversation on Thursday night, health officials gave WHO the following details about the case, which is currently undergoing intense investigation.
The patient is a two-year-old girl, who recently arrived from Guinea accompanied by her grandmother. The child’s first contact with the country’s health services occurred on 20 October, when she was examined by a health care worker at Quartier Plateau in Kayes, a city in western Mali on the Senegal River.
Kayes has a population of around 128 000 people. It is located about 600 kilometres from the capital city of Bamako and lies near the border between Mali and Senegal.
The health-care worker referred the grandmother and child to the Fousseyni Daou Hospital, in the same city, where she was admitted to the paediatric ward on the following day, on 21 October. Symptoms on admission included a fever of 39°C, cough, bleeding from the nose, and blood in the stools.
Test results were negative for malaria, but positive for typhoid fever. The child received paracetamol, but did not improve. Further testing at the country’s SEREFO laboratory confirmed Ebola virus as the causative agent on 23 October.
Initial investigation of this case – the first confirmed in Mali – has revealed the extensive travel history of the child and her grandmother. The grandmother travelled from her home in Mali to attend a funeral in the town of Kissidougou, in southern Guinea.
WHO is seeking confirmation of media reports that the funeral was for the child’s mother, who is said to have shown Ebola-like symptoms before her death. These and other facts will be communicated as they are confirmed.
Additional facts communicated to WHO
On 19 October, the grandmother left Guinea to return to Mali, taking the child with her. The case history revealed that bleeding from the nose began while both were still in Guinea, meaning that the child was symptomatic during their travels through Mali.
Travel was by public transport through Keweni, Kankan, Sigouri, and Kouremale to Bamako. The two stayed in Bamako for two hours before travelling on to Kayes. Multiple opportunities for exposure occurred when the child was visibly symptomatic.
Prompt emergency response
WHO is treating the situation in Mali as an emergency. The child’s symptomatic state during the bus journey is especially concerning, as it presented multiple opportunities for exposures – including high-risk exposures - involving many people.
Continued high-level vigilance is essential, as the government is fully aware.
The child is being treated in isolation and staff have received training in appropriate procedures for safe management. The initial investigation identified 43 close and unprotected contacts, including 10 health-care workers, who are also being monitored in isolation.
