Wednesday, September 17, 2014

MSF: French Volunteer Infected With Ebola, Will Be Evacuated

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# 9089

 

Although MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) has had hundreds of volunteers working in the Ebola Hot Zones for months, they have had an enviable safety record.  Up until today, no MSF volunteer has contracted the Ebola virus. 


Sadly that exemplary record now falls, as we learn from the following translated press release from the MSF website. 

 

 

 

Ebola: a French MSF volunteer infected in Liberia "September 17, 2014

Paris / Brussels, 17 September 2014 - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirms that a person of his team in Liberia has been infected with the Ebola virus.

Ebola - Staff MSF infected with Ebola - 17092014 , 23 Kb

Paris / Brussels, 17 September 2014 - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirms that a person of his team in Liberia has been infected with the Ebola virus.

The French MSF volunteer, part of the team deployed to Monrovia, was placed in solitary confinement Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the onset of symptoms. Laboratory tests performed on the same day confirmed an Ebola infection.

According to the strict protocols established by medical evacuation MSF volunteer to be transferred to a specialized treatment center in France.

"MSF protocols apply very strict protection to staff before, during and after a mission in a country affected by the Ebola outbreak, says the Vingne Brice, director of operations for MSF. This reduces dramatically the risk of infection. However, that risk is part of this type of intervention, and our teams are not completely spared. "

Respecting the confidentiality of medical information, and to preserve the privacy of its voluntary and his entourage, MSF does not wish to provide any additional information about it for now.

Doctors Without Borders is in response to the Ebola outbreak underway in West Africa since March. More than 2,000 MSF are currently at work in the region, including about 200 international volunteers.