Mali Records New Ebola Case, Linked To Dead Nurse

Mali has recorded a new case of Ebola in the capital Bamako after the
friend of a nurse who died of the hemorrhagic fever earlier this month
tested positive for the disease, health and medical officials said on
Saturday.

The nurse contracted the disease after treating an imam from
neighboring Guinea, who died after being incorrectly diagnosed with
kidney problems. This allowed Ebola to spread to five other people in
the West African nation's second outbreak.

"Of two suspected cases tested, one was negative and the other
positive. The latter was placed in an isolation center for intensive
treatment," a statement from the health ministry said, adding that
another 310 contact cases were being monitored.

Two Malian medical officials, who asked not to be named, confirmed the
relationship between the new case and the deceased nurse.

A total of 5,459 people have died in the worst Ebola outbreak on
record, according the World Health Organization (WHO). Guinea, Sierra
Leone and Liberia account for all but 15 of them.

Of the six previously known cases of the disease in Mali, all have
died, the WHO said on Friday.
--Reuters