Ebola Virus Disease in Mali

13 Nov 2014

The Ministry of Health in Mali has confirmed a second fatal case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the country. The case is a nurse who worked at a private clinic in the city of Bamko. The nurse developed sypmptoms of EVD after caring for a patient who was admitted to the clinic, late October, after becoming unwell in Guinea; the patient subsequently died. The nurse was isolated on 10 November 2014, after the health authorities in Guinea alerted the clinic that the patient was a possible case of EVD although no testing had been carried out for confirmation. The nurse died on 11 November 2014.

Laboratory testing for the nurse was carried out in Bamako; samples are being sent to a WHO-approved laboratory for confirmation and further virological analysis. This second case is associated with the outbreak in Guinea as with the first. Chains of transmission are being investigated by health officials and WHO staff in both Mali and Guinea. The 2 confirmed cases in Mali are not linked.

Advice for Travellers

The risk of travellers becoming infected or developing Ebola virus disease (EVD) is extremely low, unless there has been direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of dead or living infected persons or animals. Healthcare workers are at particular risk, although practising appropriate infection control should effectively prevent transmission of disease in this setting.

Travellers returning from tropical countries should always seek rapid medical attention if they develop flu-like symptoms (such as fever, headache, diarrhoea or general malaise) within three weeks after return, and be reminded to mention to their health care provider that they have recently travelled.