Ebola virus kills doctor working in Sierra Leone
Print Edition
A DOCTOR in Sierra Leone died from Ebola yesterday, making him the fifth local doctor in the West African state to have succumbed to the virus that has taken a heavy toll on the country’s medical personnel.
Dr Godffrey George, a medical superintendent at the Kambia Government Hospital in the north of the country, tested positive for Ebola on Saturday, according to Sierra Leone’s Chief Medical Officer Brima Kargbo.
Meanwhile, China will quarantine medical staff who work with Ebola patients in West Africa for 21 days after they return from their tour of duty, a senior health official said yesterday.
Doctors returning to China will be subjected to a battery of tests before they enter the observation period, said He Qinghua, deputy director of the disease control and prevention bureau of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
“As these doctors are responsible for the testing of the virus, on their return to China they will be put under a 21-day quarantine period to be supervised by local community service centers,” He said at a press briefing.
It was not clear whether medical personnel would be allowed to spend their quarantine at home, or be required to stay in secure isolation units.
Any Chinese medical staff who developed symptoms would be immediately sent to a designated hospital, he added.
Mandatory quarantine in the United States has sparked controversy after a nurse who had treated patients in Sierra Leone fought for the right to leave her home.
She had previously tested negative for the virus.
US troops who have worked in West Africa will also be subject to quarantine while Australia has closed its borders to citizens from the three worst-hit countries.
Almost 5,000 people have been killed by the virus in the current outbreak, according to data from the World Health Organization, which has recorded more than 13,000 cases but admits the real number of infections and deaths could be much higher.
China has sent 30 medical staff to West Africa and plans to send hundreds more in the coming weeks.
An elite People’s Liberation Army unit has also been sent to build a 100-bed treatment center in Liberia.
No Chinese cases
China has not reported any confirmed cases of the virus, but experts say risks exist with the rise in international travel between China and African countries, Wang Wenjie, of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, told reporters yesterday.
The official also revealed that there had been no confirmed Ebola cases among Chinese citizens living and working abroad or in Chinese medical workers helping to combat the disease in Africa.
“China has devised contingency plans to give timely and effective treatment to Chinese citizens once there is a confirmed case abroad, including transferring patients back home if necessary,” said Wang.
Since the Ebola outbreak began, the Chinese government has taken the lead in responding to the appeals of the affected countries and the World Health Organization.
Starting from April this year, China has delivered three rounds of emergency relief materials to the affected countries. The fourth round is underway.
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