The World Health Organization says it is treating Senegal’s first confirmed Ebola case “as a top priority emergency.â€
“The case is a 21-year-old male native of Guinea who arrived in Dakar, by road, on Aug. 20 and stayed with relatives at a home in the outskirts of the city,â€Â the WHO said in a statement.
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In a statement distributed Sunday, the WHO said it would address as quickly as possible Senegal’s “urgent need†for support and supplies, including personal protective equipment for health workers and hygiene kits.
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“These needs will be met with the fastest possible speed,†the WHO said.
The agency said it had sent “key operational personnel†to Dakar on Sunday and that other staff will follow.
Escaped Guinea’s surveillance system
Senegal, a tourist and transportation hub, confirmed its first case of the deadly Ebola disease on Friday, becoming the fifth country in West Africa to be affected by an outbreak that has killed more than 1,500 people.
The 21-year-old, a student, first sought medical treatment Aug. 23 after suffering from fever, diarrhea, and vomiting?. He was first treated for malaria but did not improve and left the health care faciltiy.
“On Aug. 26, he was referred to a specialized facility for infectious diseases, still showing the same symptoms, and was hospitalized,†the WHO said.
Authorities in Guinea had lost track of the student and alerted Senegal on Aug. 27 that a person who was a close contact of a confirmed ebola patient had escaped the surveillance system and might have crossed into the country.