The current outbreak has killed at least 120
healthcare workers
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has shut
down a laboratory in Sierra Leone after a
health worker there was infected with Ebola, a
move that may hamper efforts to boost the
global response to the worst-ever outbreak of
the disease.
At least 1,427 people have died and 2,615 have
been infected since the disease was detected
deep in the forests of southeastern Guinea in
March, the Reuters news agency reported.
The WHO has deployed nearly 400 of its own
staff and partner organisations to fight the
epidemic of the highly contagious hemorrhagic
fever, which has struck Sierra Leone,
Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria.
A separate outbreak was confirmed in the
Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday.
Nigeria’s health minister said on Tuesday his
country had ”thus far contained” the Ebola
outbreak.
One of the deadliest diseases known to man,
Ebola is transmitted by contact with body
fluids. The current outbreak
has killed at least 120 healthcare workers.
Canadian withdrawal
The WHO said it had withdrawn staff from the
laboratory testing for Ebola at Kailahun – one
of only two in Sierra Leone - after a Senegalese
epidemiologist was infected with Ebola.
“It’s a temporary measure to take care of the
welfare of our remaining workers,” WHO
spokeswoman Christy Feig said,
without specifying how long the measure would
last. “After our assessment, they will return.”
Separately, Public Health Agency of Canada
spokesman Sean Upton said late on Tuesday
that the agency was planning to withdraw its
three-person mobile laboratory team from
Sierra Leone.
The Canadian team was recalled after three
people in their hotel complex were diagnosed
with Ebola, although Upton said none of the
Canadians had direct contact with any of the
sick people and were not showing any
symptoms of the disease.
Source: Aljazeera
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