General News of Sunday, 6 April 2014

Source: radioxyzonline

Ghana records first suspected case of Ebola

XYZ News can report that blood sample from a 12-year-old girl has been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for tests to confirm if Ghana has recorded its first case of Ebola.

The 12-year-old girl was first admitted at the paediatric unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi with symptoms of fever and bleeding.

Doctors have met over the patient and taken emergency steps to ensure she is quarantined.

The results of the test will be known in a couple of days. The deadly flesh-eating haemorrhagic disease has already killed dozens of people in neighbouring Guinea. Cases have also been reported in Liberia and lately Mali.

Over 70 people have died so far in Guinea alone since the outbreak begun a little over a month ago. There is no known cure or vaccine for the haemorrhagic fever.

It is spread by close personal contact with people who are infected and kills between 25% and 90% of victims.

Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting.