Ivory Coast reports 1st Ebola case since the 1990s
Health minister says isolated case involves woman who travelled to Guinea
Ivory Coast reported the first case of the Ebola hemorrhagic virus in the country in 25 years, the country's health minister and the World Health Organization (WHO) said separately on Saturday.
Health Minister Pierre Dimba said on national television that it was an isolated case of an 18-year-old girl who travelled from neighbouring Guinea.
The WHO said in a statement that Ivory Coast confirmed the country's first case of Ebola since 1994.
"This came after the Institut Pasteur in Ivory Coast confirmed the Ebola Virus Disease in samples collected from a patient, who was hospitalized in the commercial capital of Abidjan, after arriving from Guinea," the WHO said in the statement.
Patient currently being treated
The WHO said initial investigations found the patient had traveled to Ivory Coast by road and arrived in Abidjan on Aug. 12.
"The patient was admitted to a hospital after experiencing a fever and is currently receiving treatment," it said.
Guinea — the site of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record — experienced a four-month Ebola outbreak earlier this year that was declared over on June 19.
Guinea early this week also confirmed a first case of the Marburg virus in West Africa. The Marburg virus disease is highly infectious hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola.
Transmission of both deadly diseases occurs through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue, while symptoms include headache, vomiting blood, muscle pains and bleeding.
No indication case linked to prior outbreak
The WHO said there was no indication the current case in Ivory Coast is linked to the outbreak in Guinea earlier this year.
It said further investigation and genomic sequencing will identify the strain and determine if there was a connection.
"It is of immense concern that this outbreak has been declared in Abidjan, a metropolis of more than four million people," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said in the statement.
"However, much of the world's expertise in tackling Ebola is here on the continent and Ivory Coast can tap into this experience and bring the response to full speed," she said.