A Mali Ebola virus outbreak might be happening anytime soon if medical experts are not quick enough to contain the first confirmed case there. Hence, the World Health Organization has decided to send more experts to the West Africa country as quickly as possible.
On Friday, WHO announced that it is sending more medical experts to Mali to counter the possible outbreak of Ebola virus there now that the first diagnosed case has already been confirmed, reports Reuters.
Malian authorities revealed Thursday that the first ever diagnosed case of an Ebola virus-infected patient is that of a two-year-old girl, who apparently traveled to Mali's neighboring country Guinea.
Following the confirmation that the little girl was indeed infected by the virus, Mali is now considered as the sixth West African country to have a diagnosed case of the Ebola outbreak that has already killed over 4,900 people.
WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said that at least four more additional medical experts will be going to Mali in the next few days to work with the first batch of experts who are currently evaluating the country's defenses.
"This team is being assembled this morning and will leave for Mali as soon as possible," Chaib noted.
As of late, 43 people are being monitored and all of them have reportedly made contact with the two--year-old patient. Included in the said figure are 10 health workers.
"She traveled with her grandmother in Guinea and returned to Mali. We don't have all details of this trip," Chaib gushed of the young Ebola virus patient.
According to local reports, the little girl was admitted to the pediatric ward on Oct. 21 after she fell ill in the western Malian town of Kayes.
"She saw a health care worker on October 20th when she had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius, blood in her stools, was coughing and had a nose bleed. They tested for malaria or typhoid and she was admitted to hospital on October 21st," Chaib noted.
An updated report from USA Today revealed that the two-year-old patient has already died on Friday.
The first Mali Ebola virus case is considered a setback to the country's regional efforts of preventing the deadly virus from entering the nation.
One of the precautions Mali launched in the wake of the Ebola virus outbreak is the public education campaign, with health officials asking communities to thoroughly monitor and report illegal border crossings.
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