Yesterday, a Saudi man died in a hospital isolation ward, where he was being tested for Ebola. The 40-year-old man returned Sunday to Saudi Arabia following a business trip to Sierra Leone, a west African country affected by the Ebola virus.
He was admitted to a specialized hospital in Jeddah and being treated in intensive care after showing symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever. Medical officials have collected samples for testing in an international reference lab to determine if the man tests positive for Ebola infection. Earlier tests performed before his death confirmed that he was negative for dengue hemorrhagic fever, which has similar symptoms to Ebola.
Saudi Health Ministry said that there are no other reported cases of Ebola. The country stopped issuing visas to Muslim pilgrims from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea in April as a measure to avoid spread of the virus during the yearly religious pilgrimage in Mecca. Those countries have reported the largest numbers of death due to the virus.
The Saudi Arabian man’s death brings the death toll of those affected or suspected to be infected with the Ebola virus to over 900.
The CDC has issued a Level 1 alert in response to the Ebola crisis, the first time its highest level alert has been issued since a 2009 flu outbreak. CDC chief Tom Frieden tweeted Wednesday:
.@CDCEmergency Ops Center moved to Level 1 response to #EbolaOutbreak given the extension to Nigeria & potential to affect many lives.
— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrFriedenCDC) August 6, 2014
These latest cases continue the trend of travelers who have visited West African countries complaining of Ebola-like symptoms upon return to their home country. A Nigerian nurse who treated a man with Ebola reportedly died on Wednesday. A Spanish missionary priest tested positive for the virus after contracting the virus in Liberia. He is the first European patient to be affected by the outbreak. American doctor Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol were admitted to Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital this past week. A patient who was admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York tested negative for the virus.
World Health Organization officials are on alert to determine the best solution to keep Ebola from spreading beyond Africa’s borders any further. The organization is moving quickly to determine if an experimental drug should be used to treat patients. “The product is still in an experimental stage, and the manufacturer reports that there is a very limited supply, so it cannot be purchased and is not available for general use,” the Centers for Disease Control said. Currently there is no vaccine or cure for the fatal virus.
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