A Liberian woman who was recently sickened by Ebola after the country went about 3 weeks without a case has died from her infection, and in an extra step to stamp out the virus, the country's health officials are asking survivors to abstain from sex longer than the previously recommended period.
Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that the number of confirmed, probable, and suspected Ebola cases in the three main outbreak countries has risen to 25,030, including 10,398 deaths. The new totals reflect an increase of 73 cases and 48 deaths since the WHO's last report on Mar 27 and include data as of Mar 28 for Guinea and Sierra Leone and Mar 22 for Liberia.
Sexual abstinence period in Liberia
The 44-year-old woman died on Mar 27 at a medical unit in Monrovia run by the US Public Health Service, Liberia News Agency (LINA) reported on Mar 28.
Her illness, confirmed on Mar 20, raised concerns, because she was not on any contact lists of previously diagnosed Ebola patients. Liberian health officials investigating her illness had said she was dating an Ebola survivor and that samples from her boyfriend had been obtained for testing.
Ebola survivors aren't generally considered contagious, but some studies suggest the virus might remain in semen, and WHO guidance says survivors should abstain from sex for at least 3 months after treatment. But the country's health ministry yesterday asked Ebola survivors to extend their sexual abstinence period beyond the 3-month recommendation over concerns that the woman's infection could have resulted from sexual transmission, Reuters reported yesterday.
Deputy health minister Tolbert Nyenswah, who leads Liberia's Ebola response, said survivors should follow WHO guidance and suggested they go a step further until the modes of transmission are better understood. He added that survivors should consider correct and consistent use of condoms for all sexual acts beyond 3 months until more information is available.
Extra measures in Sierra Leone, Guinea
Elsewhere in the outbreak area, Sierra Leone last night ended its 3-day lockdown designed to further curb the spread of the disease. During the lockdown, the country's second during the outbreak, volunteers went door to door to identify any sick people and to educate the public about the disease, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported today.
Government officials said they were pleased by the public's compliance with the measure, adding that results of the campaign, which focused on Freetown and hot spots in the north and west, would be released tomorrow.
In Guinea, President Alpha Conde declared a 45-day health emergency in five regions to curb the spread of Ebola, AFP reported yesterday in a separate story. He said virus activity has shifted to the country's coastal areas and that the health emergency will apply to Forecariah, Coyah, Dubreka, Boffa, and Kindia districts.
Developments outside Africa
Meanwhile, a British health worker infected with Ebola while working in Sierra Leone has been discharged from the hospital, and an individual in active monitoring for the disease at Nebraska Medical Center after possible exposure in Sierra Leone has been hospitalized for an unrelated condition.
Anna Cross, age 25, was admitted to Royal Free London hospital on Mar 12 and was discharged on Mar 27, according to a statement from the facility. As a staff nurse for the Army Reserves, she had volunteered to help treat Ebola patients and arrived in Sierra Leone in February.
During her treatment at Royal Free's high containment unit she received the experimental drug MIL77, a monoclonal antibody made by China, the world's first Ebola patient to receive it.
In the United States, one of five people being monitored at Nebraska Medical Center after possible Ebola exposure in Sierra Leone has been hospitalized for an unrelated medical emergency, according to a statement the hospital posted yesterday on its Facebook page.
The patient had been jogging near the medical center campus on Mar 28 and had a cardiac issue. A health worker immediately administered medical aid, and the patient was admitted to the hospital and is in stable condition. Phil Smith, MD, said the patient is free of Ebola and was tested again after hospital admission, with tests coming back negative. "There is no risk to hospital staff, patients, or those assisting at the scene or the public," he said.
The hospital said the five people are nearing the end of their 21-day surveillance and are being monitored twice a day for symptoms.
On its Twitter account, the hospital said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allows patients out to walk or jog after 14 days of observation as long as they remain 3 feet from other people.
See also:
Mar 28 LINA report
Mar 29 Reuters story
Mar 30 AFP story on Sierra Leone lockdown
Mar 29 AFP story on 45-day health emergency in Guinea
Mar 27 Royal Free statement
Mar 29 Nebraska Medical Center Facebook post
Nebraska Medical Center Twitter feed
