Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Sierra Leone Ebola death toll doubles

AllAfrica.com via Voice of America: Sierra Leone health officials have announced the country's death toll from the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has doubled. Sidi Yahya Tunis, director of Information and Communication for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, said an additional six people have died since the first six deaths were reported last week.

Tunis said two of the fatalities were health workers in the country's Kailahun district, near the border with Guinea, where the Ebola virus outbreak was first detected in January.

"As it is right now, we have 12 deaths from 42 confirmed cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone after a test of about 113 cases. That is the status as it is right now. One hundred thirteen people have been tested and, out of that, we have 42 confirmed cases of Ebola and, out of the 42 confirmed, we have 12 deaths," he said.

Tunis said the majority of cases were found in the Kailahun District. "We have now seen cases in the Daru Axis of Kailahun District for the past couple of days. We've had two cases in Kambia also, but those cases are cases that moved from Kailahun District to Kambia. So, they are taken as cases from Kailahun as well. So, all of these new numbers are still from the same Kailahun region of the country," Tunis said....

A CDC image of the Ebola virus

No comments: