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Mali infected as sick 2yo girl taken on 600km bus trip through the capital
 [BBC] The authorities in Mali have confirmed the death of the country's first Ebola patient, a two-year-old girl.The World Health Organisation said the toddler had travelled hundreds of kilometres by bus from Guinea through Mali showing symptoms of the disease. More than 40 people known to have come into contact with her have been quarantined. The girl was being treated in the western town of Kayes, after arriving at a hospital on Wednesday. The child had travelled more than 1,000 km (600 miles) from Guinea through the capital, Bamako, to Kayes. "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," the WHO said. The girl's mother died in Guinea a few weeks ago and the child was then brought by relatives to Mali. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have seen most of the 4,800 Ebola deaths. In the US, the governors of the states of New York and New Jersey have ordered a mandatory 21-day quarantine period for all doctors and other travellers who have had contact with Ebola victims in West Africa. Anyone arriving from affected West African countries without having had confirmed contact with Ebola victims will be subject to monitoring by public health officials. The moves go beyond anything so far announced at a national level by the Obama administration and come after a doctor, Craig Spencer, was diagnosed with Ebola following his return to New York from Guinea. People in the city have expressed concern that Dr Spencer used public transport and restaurants before being diagnosed. People are afraid in Mali's capital, Bamako, but life is carrying on as normal. A few people have stopped shaking hands but physically greeting people is an important part of life in Mali and for most this has not changed. Some hotels have placed bottles of anti-bacterial gels at their entrances but for ordinary Malians, gel remains too expensive. The government has been running public information broadcasts telling people to wash their hands with soap. But though soap is not expensive, most still wash their hands with water alone. Many Malians have friends and family in Guinea and several buses and taxis travel between the two countries each day. With the support of the WHO, Mali's health system has been preparing for an outbreak of Ebola for several months. But there is a culture here of visiting people when they are sick to wish them a speedy recovery. This will have to change if Ebola becomes more widespread. Good maps at original BBC story. It seems inevitable to be passed on. Toddlers are germ factories at the best of times. They put stuff in their mouths. They slobber. They touch everything in reach. If the poor little girl was sick on the bus then whoever it is that cleans the bus will have to have touched it... and how do they track that person? Posted by: anon1 2014-10-26 |
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