BAMAKO, MALI – World health officials have tried hard to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus outside of the 3 already heavily affected nations of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. New reports came in, claiming that a man who may have died from an Ebola infection was ritually cleansed in a Bamako-area Mosque in Mali. The deceased man’s corpse received a ritualistic cleansing inside the mosque prior to his burial, which has UN health officials concerned about a potential outbreak in Mali. Mali has been close to the epidemic, and has had some travelers bring the virus into the country from other affected areas of Africa.
The UN is investigating the suspicious death of a few people who came into contact with a 70 year old dying man in recent weeks. The elderly man and some of his relatives had supposedly returned from to Mali from Guinea, where they had allegedly been treated in a clinic that also took care of Ebola infected patients. Although the man is said to have died of renal failure, some of those who also came into contact with him have died of suspicious circumstances. Worried that there may be a potential outbreak in Mali, the UN has taken the cleansing and monitoring seriously in Mali’s capital.
Now three weeks after the cleansing and burial of the infected man, UN officials have arrived at the Bamako-area Mosque to spray it with disinfectants. Unfortunately there could be other people infected from contact with his corpse that may still be in the incubation period of the virus (up to 21 days). Those who have visited the mosque, or been in the proximity of the dead man are urged to get themselves tested for the virus.
Mali has been very fortunate to have mostly avoided the Ebola virus, but being right next to an infected country with little border security there have been many people freely crossing to visit family. Government officials take the outbreak very seriously, but many of the country’s people are still not properly informed about the seriousness of the Ebola virus.
Read more at http://americanlivewire.com/2014-11-16-mosque-mali-possibly-contaminated-ebola-virus/
