Last week the World Health Organization held a two-day conference in Accra, Ghana to address the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. The problem seems to be persisting, and now a US citizen who traveled to Guinea and Sierra Leone in the past few weeks is ill and undergoing tests to see if he contracted the Ebola virus.
According to a report this morning, the tests for the American man were being conducted at Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research in Accra and the results are expected later today. Ghana's Ministry of Health acknowledged that the patient was in quarantine at the Nyaho clinic in the country's capital. Ghana, located in West Africa, has not been affected by the Ebola virus outbreak.
The US citizen was said to have fallen ill following trips to Guinea and Sierra Leone - two countries that are experiencing the worst of the Ebola outbreaks, with 305 deaths in Guinea and 101 in Sierra Leone since February (provided by statistics as of July 3). The US embassy in Ghana is working closely with Ghana's Ministry of Health as well as the laboratory that is conducting the tests in order to soon confirm the results. The American is likely to remain quarantined in Africa if the tests are positive.
The current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa is the deadliest ever, claiming the lives of at least 481 people, according to an update from the World Health Organization. Guinea (412 cases), Sierra Leone (252 cases), and Liberia (115 cases) have been hit the hardest, while international officials are scrambling to stop the resurgence of cases and deaths in recent weeks. Last week, the two-day Ebola conference in Ghana sought to improve cooperation and communication between the three nations' politicians and health departments in order to contain the outbreaks.
"The governments are required to mobilize relevant sectors, community, religious and political leaders to improve awareness, psycho-social support and understanding of the Ebola situation," said Francis Kasolo, WHO Africa director for disease prevention and control, in this Reuters news article.
Among other improvements to deal with the outbreaks, the countries hope to access better diagnostic technologies and health care resources, while improving disease surveillance and health communication throughout the region. But as of now, the main focus is ensuring the American patient is healthy before leaving Ghana to avoid an intercontinental spread of the virus.
You can read more about the Ebola virus situation in West Africa as well as the potentially infected US citizen in this Reuters news article.
