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Guinean Man Carries Ebola to Senegal

By Peter R | Update Date: Aug 29, 2014 01:54 PM EDT

A Guinean student who fled to Senegal has become its first reported case of Ebola, the country's health ministry confirmed on Friday.

The student had come in contact with the sick in his country and had given health surveillance authorities the slip three weeks before entering Senegal. He later turned up at a hospital in the Senegalese capital of Darkar where he was quarantined, Reuters reported.

Senegal health minister Awa Marie Coll Seck informed at a news conference tests conducted at Pasteur Institute in Darkar revealed the man was infected.

"Guinean epidemiological surveillance team informed they lost track of a person who had contact with the sick. The student who tested positive is known to have disappeared from the Guinean capital Conakry three weeks ago," Seck said indicating that Senegal's first case of infection was the man who eluded surveillance in Guinea.

ABC News highlighted concerns over inability of WHO and other organizations to contain the spread of the virus to Senegal, a major tourist destination and commercial hub. It is not immediately known how the Guinean man entered Senegal which had closed its borders with Guinea and banned flights to and from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

"The World Health Organization can't handle the outbreak" Mego Terzian, President for France's Chapter of Doctors without Borders was quoted saying by ABC News.

"I don't see how with the current measures we're going to control the outbreak and stop the outbreak." Terzian's organization is also involved in the fight against Ebola.

In a related development, BBC reported a riot broke out on Friday in Nzerekore, Guinea's second largest city, when its main market was sprayed with Ebola disinfectant. The exact cause remains unknown but local sources said the riot erupted over fears that the spraying would infect people. A 24-hour curfew was imposed in the city to control the situation. 

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