Kayode ShopekanIVORY Coast has declared its first case of Ebola virus in 25 years.
Health Minister Pierre Dimba said on national television that it was an isolated case of an 18-year-old girl who travelled from neighbouring Guinea.
The World Health Organisation said in a statement that Ivory Coast confirmed the country’s first case of Ebola since 1994.
“This came after the Institut Pasteur in Ivory Coast confirmed the Ebola Virus Disease in samples collected from a patient, who was hospitalized in the commercial capital of Abidjan, after arriving from Guinea,” WHO said in the statement.
WHO said initial investigations found the patient had travelled to Ivory Coast by road and arrived in Abidjan on August 12.
“The patient was admitted to a hospital after experiencing a fever and is currently receiving treatment,” WHO said.
Guinea – site of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record – experienced a four-month Ebola outbreak earlier this year that was declared over on June 19.
The country early this week also confirmed a first case of Marburg virus in West Africa.
Marburg virus disease is a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola.
Transmission of both deadly diseases occurs through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue, while symptoms include headache, vomiting blood, muscle pains and bleeding.
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