US to assign 3,000 from military to fight Ebola

By Jim Kuhnhenn THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is ramping up its response to West Africa's Ebola crisis, preparing to assign 3,000 U.S. military personnel to the afflicted region to supply medical and logistical support to overwhelmed local health care systems and to boost the number of beds needed to isolate and treat victims of the epidemic. 

President Barack Obama planned to announce the stepped-up effort Tuesday during a visit to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta amid alarm that the outbreak could spread and that the deadly virus could mutate into a more easily transmitted disease. 

The new U.S. muscle comes after appeals from the region and from aid organizations for a heightened U.S. role in combatting the outbreak blamed for more than 2,200 deaths. 

Administration officials said Monday that the new initiatives aim to: 

— Train as many as 500 health care workers a week. 

— Erect 17 heath care facilities of 100 beds each in the region. 

— Set up a joint command headquartered in Monrovia, Liberia, to coordinate between U.S. and international relief efforts. 

— Provide home health care kits to hundreds of thousands of households, including 50,000 that the U.S. Agency for International Development will deliver to Liberia this week. 

— Carry out a home- and community-based campaign to train local populations on how to handle exposed patients. 

Meanwhile, a Senate panel scheduled an afternoon hearing on the crisis. Expected to testify were Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Kent Brantly, an American physician who contracted Ebola while working in Liberia but recovered after treatment with an experimental drug. 

Obama administration officials said the cost of the stepped-up effort to combat the disease would come from $500 million in overseas contingency operations, such as the war in Afghanistan, that the Pentagon already has asked Congress to redirect to carry out humanitarian efforts in Iraq and in West Africa. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans on the record before Obama's announcement 

The officials said it would take about two weeks to get U.S. forces on the ground. 

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations African affairs subcommittee, applauded the new U.S. commitment. Coons earlier had called for the Obama administration to step up its role in West Africa. 

''This humanitarian intervention should serve as a firewall against a global security crisis that has the potential to reach American soil,'' he said. 

But House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, faulted the administration's response. 

''Frankly, I'm a bit surprised the administration hasn't acted more quickly to address what is a serious threat, not just to Africa but to others across the world,'' the Ohio Republican said Tuesday. He predicted action ''in the coming weeks'' by the executive and legislative branches of government ''to look at how do we best contain this very horrible disease.'' 

Hardest hit by the outbreak are Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The virus also has reached Nigeria and Senegal. Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick patients, making doctors and nurses especially vulnerable to contracting the virus, which has no vaccine or approved treatment. 

The U.S. effort will include medics and corpsmen for treatment and training, engineers to help erect the treatment facilities and specialists in logistics to assist in patient transportation. 

Obama's trip to the CDC comes a day after the United States also demanded a stepped-up international response to the outbreak. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, called Monday for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, warning that the potential risk of the virus could ''set the countries of West Africa back a generation.'' 

Power said the meeting Thursday would mark a rare occasion when the Security Council, which is responsible for threats to international peace and security, addresses a public health crisis. 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was expected to brief the council along with World Health Organization chief Dr. Margaret Chan and Dr. David Nabarro, the recently named U.N. coordinator to tackle the disease, as well as representatives from the affected countries. 

White House press secretary Josh Earnest, responding to criticism that the U.S. needed a more forceful response, said Monday that Obama has identified the outbreak ''as a top national security priority,'' worried that it could contribute to political instability in the region and that, left unchecked, the virus could transform and become more contagious. 

He said the administration responded ''pretty aggressively'' when the outbreak was first reported in March. 

''Since that time our assistance has steadily been ramping up,'' he said. 

The U.S. has spent more than $100 million responding to the outbreak and has offered to operate treatment centers for patients. 

While at the CDC, Obama also will be briefed about cases of respiratory illness being reported in the Midwest, the White House said. Public health officials are monitoring a high number of reported illnesses associated with human enterovirus 68 in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and elsewhere. 

After leaving Atlanta, Obama planned to travel to Florida to visit the headquarters of U.S. Central Command in Tampa. He will meet Wednesday with military officials about the U.S. counterterrorism campaign against the Islamic State group. Central Command overseas U.S. military efforts in the Middle East. 

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Ebola Global Emergency

Information from RSOE EDIS

**Sept. 12 Venezuela -The Medical Association of Aragua state (north Venezuela) has declared a state of alarm following the death of eight people in the last few hours at the Maracay's Central Hospital because of an unidentified virus or bacteria. The information was confirmed by the president of the Medical Association in Aragua state, Angel Sarmiento. He explained that four adults and four children died less than 72 hours after being admitted with the same symptoms, including a 40 C-fever, general discomfort, and skin rashes that then turned into blisters. Sarmiento ruled out the possibility that the deaths were caused by Ebola infection, as reported on social networks. Chikungunya fever and dengue virus were also ruled out. He added that doctors were waiting for the results of the autopsies to determine whether it was a viral or bacterial disease.

Sept. 11 Australia-  A man who sparked fears of Australia's first case of the deadly Ebola virus spent four hours locked up in a Gold Coast watch house before being taken to hospital, police say. Gold Coast Health's head of infectious diseases John Gerrard said it was "exceedingly unlikely" the 27-year-old had the highly infectious virus after assessing him this morning. A police spokeswoman said the alarm was raised by officers after the man spent four hours in custody at Southport station, following an arrest on minor charges. Arresting officers said he had not complained of ill health at the time he was taken into custody but complained of flu-like symptoms at the time of his release. The officers called paramedics after the man revealed he had returned from Africa just two days ago. "The arrest matter had been finalised after a man had spent four hours in custody at Southport watch house," the spokeswoman said. "Queensland Police Service is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all persons in the Southport watch house, including staff and prisoners, who may have had any contact with the man involved and at this time it is not believed that the closure of the watchhouse is required." The alarm was raised by paramedics about 7.40am today. He was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital, where he remains in strict isolation while further tests are undertaken. Dr Gerrard, a world-renowned infectious diseases expert, said the man would remain isolated, in line with universal infection control procedures. He said the recently completed hospital had been designed to accommodate patients with infectious diseases. University of Queensland virologist Associate Professor Ian Mackay said on Thursday even if the man did test positive for Ebola, the risk to public health was "virtually zero".

"If a patient was very, very sick and at late stage in Ebola, people close to him for a long period of time may be at risk but the way it looks at the moment, that's extraordinarily unlikely," he said. He said the disease was spread through bodily fluids, largely blood, vomit and faeces. It is not an airborne virus and strict protective and isolation measures are purely to prevent health workers coming into contact with bodily fluids, Associate Professor Mackay said. "There is a high viral load in these fluids, a lot more than some other viruses, so it spreads very easily," he said. A Queensland Health spokeswoman said earlier on Thursday the man on the Gold Coast had reported Ebola-like symptoms but stressed Ebola symptoms were initially similar to those of the flu. She said the hospital was well prepared for an Ebola infection, as the federal health authorities recently handing out protocols for all hospitals to follow in the event of someone contracting the virus. She added the Gold Coast University Hospital had in recent weeks also established the Ebola Virus Disease Working Group to prepare for the unlikely event of an outbreak. Gold Coast Health acting chief executive Damian Green said in a statement on Thursday morning the man ws being assessed in line with universal infection control procedures. "The Gold Coast University Hospital has been designed to accommodate patients with infectious disease," he said. "Universal infection control procedures are in place and there is limited risk to patients and staff." New Zealand Ministry of Health acting director of public health, Dr William Rainger, said the ministry was in contact with its counterparts in Australia. "The risk to New Zealand from Ebola remains low," he said. "Border screening is already in place for individuals from West African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak who have symptoms. "These controls are similar to those in place in comparable countries. "The ministry continues to check its precautions are appropriate through an expert advisory group that has been established."

Sept. 5 South Korea -South Korean health authorities said Friday they have quarantined a Nigerian national with high fever as a precautionary move as they check to see whether the person has been infected with the Ebola virus. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said they are conducting detailed tests on the man, but judging by clinical specimens and his symptoms, it seems unlikely that he has contracted the deadly hemorrhagic fever. The highly contagious illness is sweeping across some parts of Western Africa, including Nigeria, and has claimed thousands of lives. The KCDC said the man arrived in the country on Thursday via a flight that took off from Doha, Qatar. Because his body temperature reached 38.2 degrees Celsius on arrival and he did not clearly state why he wanted to enter the country, he was not allowed in the country by immigration officials. He was then put on another plane heading for Doha early Friday, but the jet had to return to Incheon International Airport after he again experienced a high fever. The public health and safety agency also said they have checked the man's background. "The man is a resident of Aba, a Nigerian city 500 kilometers from Lagos, where Ebola cases have been reported," a health official said. He said more conclusive test results will come out in the evening.

Sept. 4 Austria -A 45-year-old woman with a suspected Ebola infection has been admitted to hospital in Vienna. The Nigerian woman was suffering a high fever and headache and had recently returned to Austria from a trip to Nigeria. She is currently being treated and tested in isolation. Blood samples have been sent to the Bernhard-Nocht Institute in Hamburg for diagnosis. Results should be available within the next 48 hours. Symptoms for suspected Ebola cases are non-specific and could also be symptomatic of many other tropical diseases, such as typhoid or malaria. They include fever, aches and diarrhoea. Austria doesn’t have its own dedicated bio-secure lab, and the Freedom Party’s spokesman for science recently warned that the country is unprepared in the event that cases of the virus are confirmed. In August suspected cases of Ebola in Tyrol and Upper Austria proved to be false alarms. The Nigerian woman is being treated in the Kaiser-Franz-Josef hospital in Vienna’s Favoriten district. The hospital has a new infection department which will be used for anyone suffering Ebola-like symptoms. Six rooms can be isolated, and doctors and nurses wear full protective body suits. Experts say that while sporadic cases of Ebola are possible outside Africa, the risk of broader contagion is low because higher standards of healthcare and hygiene would make it easier to contain.

Sept. 3 Nigeria -The death of a patient, who is suspected to have Ebola, has caused panic among patients and doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi- Araba, Lagos State. A reliable source, who confirmed this development to our correspondent in Lagos on Tuesday, said the patient was brought in by members of the health authorities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, to the hospital on Monday. According to the doctor who was on duty when the patient was admitted into the Accident and Emergency Unit, the patient was vomiting blood and stooling, symptoms which are similar to that of an Ebola patient, before he died in the early hours of Tuesday at the Spill-Over ward of the hospital. He said, "They rushed him to the Accident and Emergency Unit, and since he was vomiting and purging and he also had high fever, we quickly took his temperature, it was very high. We were all scared to take his blood samples because we were not wearing any Protective Protective Equipment." "We had to take him out of the emergency ward to the other spill-over ward to avoid any form of contamination. We also reported to the Lagos State Government so that they can take him to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba for proper treatment. But he had started vomiting blood by this morning, and few hours after he died." The doctor said that the body has being transferred to the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, for testing and confirmation of the cause of death. The source continued, "Like I said, we could not take any blood sample when he was alive because we were not wearing PPE, and we could not manage him effectively because of the severity of the symptoms we saw and considering the fact that he was coming from the airport. He could have been coming from an Ebola-affected country. They will need to establish the cause of death, so as to be able to know whether to quarantine those that he had contact with from the airport to the hospital." "LUTH does not have the facilities to handle any suspected case of Ebola, government should know that, so they don't keep bringing suspected cases here. All suspected cases should be taken to IDH." Several calls to the LUTH's Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin Oshibogun, to confirm if the patient had died of Ebola were unanswered as at press time.

Sept. 1 Sudan -The minister of health affairs for the Darfur Regional Authority, Firdos Abdel Rahman Yousif denied reports of the deadly Ebola virus disease in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur State. The Sudan News Agency quoted the minister as saying the suspected case had come from Abeche in Chad. The patient suffered from hemorrhagic fever, began taking treatment from the health center, and was then transferred to a hospital in El Geneina, she claimed.

Aug. 29 Senegal - Senegal's health ministry has confirmed a first case of Ebola, making it the fifth West African country to be affected by the outbreak. Health Minister Awa Marie Coll Seck told reporters on Friday that a young man from Guinea was confirmed to have contracted the virus. 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. 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.

Aug 22 Ireland -A man in Ireland who medics suspect may have died from Ebola is believed to have recently returned from Sierra Leone. The suspected victim was named locally as father-of-one Dessie Quinn, from the Doorin area, outside Mountcharles, Co Donegal. The 43-year-old was visiting his large family in Co Donegal when he was taken ill, having previously been living in Dublin. Neighbours said Mr Quinn may have been receiving treatment for malaria when he died. His body is being kept at Letterkenny Hospital in isolation. The ebola virus causes symptoms that can be initially similar to those of malaria, including a fever. It is fatal in up to 90% of cases. It is not known where Mr Quinn had been receiving any treatment as an inpatient at a medical facility. One source said he had been working in the West African country for a telecommunications company and had returned within the last couple of weeks. Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed that the remains of a person who recently returned from an area of Africa hit by the outbreak had been found in Co Donegal on Thursday. It refused to provide any more details. A spokesman said laboratory results are expected later. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "He was just home and as far as I know he was in Donegal since he came back from Sierra Leone.

Aug. 21 Democratic Republic of Congo -Democratic Republic of Congo has sent its health minister and a team of experts to the remote northern Equateur province after several people died there from a disease with Ebola-like symptoms, a local official and a professor said on Wednesday (20 Aug 2014). It was not immediately clear if there was any connection with Ebola (virus infections). An epidemic of that disease has killed more than 1200 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. "An illness is spreading in Boende but we don't know the origin," said Michel Wangi, a spokesman for the governor's office. "The government has sent a team of experts from the INRB (National Institute of Biomedical Research) this morning led by the health minister (Felix) Kabange Numbi and acting governor Sebastian Impeto." A professor accompanying the delegation in the presidential plane confirmed that they were en route this morning to find out "the exact nature of the illness that caused the Boende deaths". An Equateur resident who asked not to be named said that around 10 people had died, including 4 health care workers, after suffering from fever, diarrhoea and bleeding from the ears and nostrils - all symptoms of the deadly Ebola virus (infection) Highly-contagious, Ebola can kill up to 90 per cent of its victims. There is no known vaccine and the few forms of treatment that exist are experimental. Congo does not share a border with any of the countries affected by the virus in West Africa. But the country has seen several outbreaks since the 1st case was detected near the Ebola River in northern Congo in 1976.

Aug. 19 Netherlands-In a hospital in Oostende (Netherlands) is a 13 year old boy from the West African country of Guinea quarantined because it was feared that he might be infected with the Ebola virus. According to the Ministry of Health, however, is about malaria. But just in case the boy, who had a high fever, still 36 hours remaining in seclusion.

Aug. 19 USA – New Mexico -A woman who is experiencing symptoms of Ebola is in quarantine at UNM Hospital in Albuquerque. On August 4, the woman returned from a visit to Sierra Leone, a West African country that has been hit particularly hard by the current Ebola outbreak. So far, 810 cases and 348 deaths have been reported there. Last Friday, the 30-year-old woman began to develop flu-like symptoms including fever, sore throat, muscle aches, and a headache. On Saturday, she checked herself into the hospital. The woman is being held in a special room that has negative pressure to keep everything inside the room. The room itself is in protective gear and doctors and nurses have been instructed to wear protective gear when taking care of the woman, reports KOAT. At least 170 healthcare workers have been infected with Ebola so far, but all of them have been in the West African countries that are being affected by the outbreak. Conditions for healthcare workers in those countries present challenges that US medical facilities do not face, such as extreme heat, long hours, under-staffing, and lack of adequate equipment. The New Mexico Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to perform tests to (hopefully) rule out the deadly virus. Blood samples will be sent to the CDC in Atlanta. Officials said the woman's preliminary test results should be back by the end of this week. Last week, a NY man who was quarantined after developing symptoms associated with Ebola shared his experience with the public. Fortunately, tests were negative and he was released from the hospital.

Aug. 18 United Arab Emirates-A Nigerian woman who arrived on a flight to the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi and later died in the city may have been infected with the Ebola virus, said health officials. The health authority in the emirate said in a statement carried by the Emirati state news agency WAM on Sunday evening that the 35-year-old woman was traveling from Nigeria to India for treatment of advanced metastatic cancer. Her health deteriorated while in transit at Abu Dhabi International Airport and as medics were trying to resuscitate her, they found signs that suggested a possible Ebola virus infection. Medical staff treating the woman followed safety and precautionary measures in line with World Health Organization guidelines, the statement added. The woman’s husband, who was the only person sitting next to her on the plane, as well as five medics who treated her are being isolated pending test results on the deceased woman. All are in good health and show no symptoms of the illness, according to health officials.

Aug. 11 Senegal-A Malian national living in northern Senegal has been quarantined in a hospital due to suspected Ebola symptoms, Senegalese News Agency reported Saturday. The 27-year-old patient had just returned to the northern city of Ourossogui from a trip to Mali, where he was in contact with nationals of Guinea, said the head doctor of the local medical team, adding samples have been sent to Dakar for analysis and the results could be available within 48 hours. A doctor accompanied by officers of health services has already been dispatched to the city to disinfect the home of the patient and the bike that was used to transport him. In March, Senegal had closed its border with Guinea, the country most affected by the epidemic, but reopened it in early May. The Senegalese Minister of Health, Awa Marie Coll Seck, said Friday that there was no confirmed case in they country but emphasized prevention measures against Ebola virus.

Aug 10 Uganda -In another such case reported from Uganda, a man suspected of suffering from the deadly disease was put in isolation. The suspect was travelling from South Sudan and was stopped Wednesday after screening by health ministry officials at Entebbe airport, 35 km from the national capital Kampala, the Daily Monitor reported. In both the cases test reports were awaited.

Aug 10 Benin-A patient at a hospital in Benin's capital city of Porto-Novo was diagnosed with symptoms of EVD. Other information not available yet.

Aug. 7 Spain - An elderly Spanish missionary infected with the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia landed in Madrid on Thursday (Aug 7), the first patient in the fast-spreading outbreak to be evacuated to Europe for treatment. A specially equipped military Airbus A310 carrying 75-year-old Roman Catholic priest Miguel Pajares landed at the Spanish capital's Torrejon air base at 8:15am (0615 GMT), the Defence Ministry said. The priest tested positive for Ebola at the Saint Joseph Hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia where he worked with patients suffering from the haemorrhagic fever, according to the Spanish aid organisation that employs him, Juan Ciudad ONGD. The plane, hurriedly equipped with plastic isolation tents before being dispatched from Madrid, also brought back Spanish nun Juliana Bonoha Bohe, who had worked at the same hospital, the ministry said. She has not tested postive for Ebola but is nevertheless to be isolated for treatment. The Spanish priest and the nun were taken by ambulance to Madrid's Carlos III Hospital, which is specialised in tropical diseases, according to an AFP photographer outside the hospital.

Aug. 5 Morocco -[T]he scope of the [Ebola virus disease] outbreak continued to expand, with the detection of a travel-linked case in Morocco. According to a 1 Aug 2014 AllAfrica report, Morocco's Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Morris Dukuly] on 30 Jul 2014 said a Liberian citizen has died from EVD in Morocco. The patient had left Liberia 2 days before he died. The report did not include any details about the man's flight or contact tracing of airline passengers, airline staff, or health workers who may have had contact with the man.

July 26 Sierra Leone- Sierra Leone hunts Ebola patient kidnapped in Freetown. Sidi Yahya Tunis, a spokesperson for Sierra Leone's ministry of health, said the King Harman Road Hospital was stormed by the Ebola patient's family on Thursday. The BBC's Umaru Fofona in Freetown said the woman, who is an apprentice hairdresser, is a resident of the densely populated area of Wellington in the east of the city. The Ebola cases in Sierra Leone are centred in the country's eastern districts of Kenema and Kailahun, just over the border from the Guekedou region of Guinea where the outbreak started. Our reporter says there is increasing anger and confusion over the handling of the outbreak. Police say thousands of people have taken to the streets of Kenema to protest - thronging to the town's hospital, which treats all Ebola cases in the district. The father of a nine-year-old boy has told the BBC that his son was shot and injured by police as they tried to put down the angry demonstration, in which he says his son was not involved. Our reporter says the police have not been able to confirm this as they say they are still busy with operational matters. Nurses at Kenema hospital went on strike for a day on Monday after three of their colleagues died of suspected Ebola. Earlier this week, it was announced that the doctor leading Sierra Leone's fight against Ebola was being treated for the virus.

July 25 Nigeria -The deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever may have reached Nigeria, local health officials say. A Liberian man in his 40s is currently being tested for the virus in the capital city of Lagos, which is home to 21 million people. The most recent Ebola outbreak has already killed 632 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since February. This would be the first case in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. Abdulsalami Nasidi, project director of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, urged Nigerians to be proactive in stopping the disease, calling it a “time bomb,” according to a Thursday report in the Nigerian Tribune. Earlier this month, he told reporters that Nigeria was not prepared to fight the disease. The virus spreads through contact with blood or bodily fluids of infected people It's been fatal for about 60 percent of infected patients during the recent outbreak. Sheik Umar Khan, one of the region’s top physicians who led the fight against Ebola, contracted the disease earlier this week. Nigeria ranked among the top five countries around the world in need of better health care systems by the Borgen Project, a nonprofit focused on poverty and hunger.

June 15 Liberia-Liberia's Health and Social Welfare Ministry (MOHSW) has confirmed a fresh outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the western Monrovia suburb of New Kru Town with seven cases reported.The Deputy Minister of Health and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bernice Dahn told a press conference Saturday that of the seven cases, six have been confirmed dead, with laboratory tests confirming four to be caused by Ebola. "The seven cases include an index case and six contacts connected to the index case,� Dr, Dahn said. She said the index case was a female who traveled from Kailahun District in eastern Sierra Leone where an outbreak of Ebola was recently reported. She is said to have settled in one of the communities in New Kru Town with family members, where she fell sick and later died. At the same time, the Chief Medical Officer has disclosed that there are reports of fresh cases of Ebola outbreak in Foya, Lofa County in northwestern Liberia which shares a common border with Guinea where the Ebola virus is reported to be on the rampage. The health ministry is meanwhile urging the general public to remain calm and go about their normal business as all is being done to curtail the spread of the disease by the government. Since the outbreak of the virus in Liberia from Guinea few months ago, the disease has so far claimed the lives of 17 people out of a total of 31 people who were reported to have been infected.

April 6 Ghana - XYZ News can report that blood sample from a 12-year-old girl has been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for tests to confirm if Ghana has recorded its first case of ebola. The 12-year-old girl was first admitted at the paediatric unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi with symptoms of fever and bleeding. Doctors have met over the patient and taken emergency steps to ensure she is quarantined. The results of the test will be known in a couple of days. The deadly flesh-eating haemorrhagic disease has already killed dozens of people in neighbouring Guinea. Cases have also been reported in Liberia and lately Mali. Over 70 people have died so far in Guinea alone since the outbreak begun a little over a month ago. There is no known cure or vaccine for the haemorrhagic fever. It is spread by close personal contact with people who are infected and kills between 25% and 90% of victims. Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting.

March 19 Guinea- An outbreak of hemorrhagic fever has killed at least 23 people in Guinea's southeastern forest region since February when the first case was reported, health authorities in the West African nation said on Wednesday. At least 35 cases have been recorded by local health officials, said Sakoba Keita, the doctor in charge of the prevention of epidemics in Guinea's Health Ministry. "Symptoms appear as diarrhea and vomiting, with a very high fever. Some cases showed relatively heavy bleeding," Keita said. "We thought it was Lassa fever or another form of cholera but this disease seems to strike like lightning. We are looking at all possibilities, including Ebola, because bushmeat is consumed in that region and Guinea is in the Ebola belt," he said. No cases of the highly contagious Ebola fever have ever been recorded in the country. Keita said most of the victims had been in contact with the deceased or had handled the bodies. He said those infected had been isolated and samples had been sent to Senegal and France for further tests. More than half of the mineral-rich nation's 11.4 million people live on less than $1 a day and many lack access to basic medical facilities and qualified medical staff.

Mapping the Ebola Outbreak