Comment on New fears about Ebola spread after plane scare

By KRISTA LARSON and MARIA CHENG, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle: World
Mon, 07/28/2014 - 10:06am

New fears about Ebola spread after plane scare

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — No one knows for sure just how many people Patrick Sawyer came into contact with the day he boarded a plane in Liberia, had a layover in Togo and then arrived in Nigeria where authorities say he died days later from Ebola, one of the world's deadliest diseases. [...] health workers are scrambling to trace those who may have been exposed to Sawyer at three international airports in West Africa, from flight attendants to fellow passengers. Health experts say it's unlikely he could have infected others with the virus that can cause victims to bleed from their eyes, mouth and ears. The important thing is for countries to be prepared when they get patients infected with Ebola, that they are isolated, family members are told what to do and health workers take the right steps. The World Health Organization is awaiting official confirmation from a laboratory in Dakar, Senegal, after Nigerian health authorities said Sawyer tested positive for Ebola, said Gregory Hartl, a Geneva-based spokesman. The risk of travelers contracting Ebola is considered low because it requires direct contact with body fluids or secretions like urine, blood, sweat or saliva, experts say. [...] witnesses say Sawyer, a 40-year-old Finance Ministry employee en route to a conference in Nigeria, was vomiting and had diarrhea aboard at least one of his flights with some 50 other passengers aboard, sparking fear of possible fluid transmission. Since 1976 when the virus was first discovered, Ebola outbreaks were limited to remote corners of Congo and Uganda, far from urban centers and staying within the borders of a single country. [...] detecting Ebola in departing passengers might be tricky since its initial symptoms are similar to many other diseases, including malaria and typhoid fever.

 

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