Panafrican News Agency

New test finds 'no evidence' of Ebola virus in Cote d’Ivoire case

Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) – The government of Cote d’Ivoire has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) that a second laboratory has tested samples from a patient suspected of having Ebola and has found "no evidence of the virus".

The tests by the Institut Pasteur in Lyon, France, follow tests conducted by the Institut Pasteur of Cote d’Ivoire, which led health authorities to announce their first Ebola case since 1994.

With the new results from the laboratory in Lyon, WHO considers that the patient did not have Ebola virus disease and further analysis on the cause of her illness is ongoing, a statement by the WHO Africa Regional Office said on Tuesday.

The suspected case was a young woman who travelled from Guinea to Cote d’Ivoire. Since Cote d’Ivoire announced the case more than 140 contacts have been listed in the two countries. No-one else has shown symptoms for the disease or tested positive for Ebola.

Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.

To prevent the spread of Ebola it is important to act urgently. Cote d’Ivoire health authorities alerted WHO of the case as required by the International Health Regulations 2005 and rapidly launched all key public health measures.

WHO says it is now downgrading its actions in Cote d’Ivoire from response to readiness mode.

-0- PANA MA 1Sept2021