Mali succumbs to Ebola as death toll nears 5,500

  • 10 years ago
Cuban doctor Felix Baez Sarria has been evacuated from West Africa to Geneva after falling ill with the Ebola virus. While he is now being cared for his colleagues remain behind, and their struggles are starting to bear fruit.

The rate of infection appears to be slowing, but a new outbreak has hit Mali, where six people have died.

With the fall of Mali to the virus it begins to strike inland, and health workers are desperate to stop it breaking into the African interior.

“The new chain of transmission in Mali is, of course, of deep concern. We are translating the lessons we have already learned from the Ebola outbreak into early action to mitigate against a further spread in Mali,” said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The WHO now says 5459 people have died out of 15,351 cases, and in one alarming development thieves attacked an ambulance and made off with a tray of Ebola-infected blood samples.