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Ebola outbreak: Senegal confirms first case | Ebola outbreak: Senegal confirms first case |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Senegal's health minister has confirmed a first case of Ebola, making it the fifth West African country to be affected by the outbreak. | |
Awa Marie Coll Seck told reporters on Friday that a young man from Guinea had travelled to Senegal despite having been infected with the virus. | |
The man was immediately placed in quarantine, she added. | The man was immediately placed in quarantine, she added. |
The current outbreak, which began in Guinea, has killed more than 1,500 people across the region. | The current outbreak, which began in Guinea, has killed more than 1,500 people across the region. |
At least 3,000 people have been infected with the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned it could get much worse and infect more than 20,000 people. | At least 3,000 people have been infected with the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned it could get much worse and infect more than 20,000 people. |
Guinea riot | Guinea riot |
Senegal had previously closed its border with Guinea in an attempt to halt the spread of Ebola, but the frontier is porous. | |
It had also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the three worst-hit countries. | It had also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the three worst-hit countries. |
The Guinean student sought treatment at a hospital in Senegal's capital Dakar on Tuesday, but did not tell staff he had had contact with Ebola patients in his own country. | |
On Wednesday, the Guinean health services reported "the disappearance of a person infected with Ebola who reportedly travelled to Senegal," according to Senegal's health minister. | |
She said the missing person was quickly identified as the Guinean student and he was immediately quarantined. | |
Senegal, a major transit hub for aid agencies, has a large Guinean population. | Senegal, a major transit hub for aid agencies, has a large Guinean population. |
In Guinea, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed in the second city, Nzerekore, because of a riot after the main market was sprayed with disinfectant in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. | |
The exact cause of the riot is not clear - some people reportedly feared the spray would spread Ebola, while other chanted: "Ebola is a lie". Police responded by firing tear gas. | |
The city is the capital of the Forest Region, where the Ebola epidemic has its epicentre - near the town of Gueckedou. | |
However the BBC's Alhassan Sillah in Guinea says the town has miraculously remained free of Ebola so far. | However the BBC's Alhassan Sillah in Guinea says the town has miraculously remained free of Ebola so far. |
There have been relatively few cases in Guinea recently, with far higher infection rates in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and six deaths in Nigeria. | There have been relatively few cases in Guinea recently, with far higher infection rates in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and six deaths in Nigeria. |
On Thursday, the WHO unveiled a plan aimed at stopping transmission of the virus in the next six to nine months. | On Thursday, the WHO unveiled a plan aimed at stopping transmission of the virus in the next six to nine months. |
Among its recommendations, it said countries affected should conduct exit screening to prevent the disease from spreading to a further 10 countries. | Among its recommendations, it said countries affected should conduct exit screening to prevent the disease from spreading to a further 10 countries. |
The plan calls for $489m (£295m) to be spent over the next nine months and requires 750 international workers and 12,000 national workers across West Africa. | The plan calls for $489m (£295m) to be spent over the next nine months and requires 750 international workers and 12,000 national workers across West Africa. |
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) | Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) |