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Here is the latest on the Ebola outbreak. One person remains in isolation in Ontario while another has been cleared of the virus, after both experienced Ebola-like symptoms.
The test results for a patient in Ottawa came back Monday and that person does not have Ebola.
However, we’re still waiting for the test results for a patient in Belleville who recently traveled to Sierra Leone. That is one of the West African countries dealing with the outbreak. Although health officials say the risk of Ebola is very low, we won’t know for sure until the results are in, and that’s expected to happen sometime tonight or Wednesday morning.
Doctors in the U.S. are working to save the life of the nurse who is battling Ebola after treating Thomas Eric Duncan — the man who died from the virus last week.
Nina Pham is said to be in stable condition. Tuesday afternoon, she released a written statement saying she is doing well — and is being cared for by the best team of doctors and nurses in the world.
Pham remains in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and as her treatment continues, experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are trying to figure out how she was infected — and President Obama is trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC Director: “A single infection in a health care worker is unacceptable and what we’re doing at this point is looking at everything we can do to minimize that risk so those who are caring for her do that safely and effectively.”
President Obama: “We are going to make sure that all the lessons learned from Dallas are then applied to hospital and health centres around the country. As I’ve said before, we have the health infrastructure in systems and support that make an epidemic here highly unlikely.”
Once again the Ebola outbreak has people around the world worried about the welfare of a pet dog. His name is Bentley — and he belongs to Pham.
Hazmat crews are preparing a safe house for Bentley. They could be seen today carrying drums into the home which will house the dog in isolation for the next 21 days. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, will be monitored during that time for any signs of Ebola.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is assuring Nina Pham and her family that they’re looking after Bentley: “I saw video of her this morning where she is eating and drinking water and she looks as frisky as ever. So we’ve sent that video to Nina and at some point hopefully we’ll share it with everybody else. But it’s a very cute dog and it’s in a very safe place.”
In Spain, they euthanized the dog who lived with the nurse diagnosed with Ebola there. The decision sparked violent protests outside of the woman’s apartment. When it comes to the outbreak in West Africa, the number of Ebola cases there will top nine-thousand this week, and the epidemic is still expanding. In fact, the World Health Organization says the area could face up to ten thousand new Ebola cases a week within two months.
WHO’s Assistant Director General Bruce Aylward: “8,914 cases are the number today. We will go over 9,000 cases this week, it’s the trends as you can see. The number of reported deaths are 4,447 as of this morning.”
Aylward also says the death rate in the current outbreak has risen to 70 per cent. In contrast, in events such as flu pandemics, the death rate is typically under 2 per cent. The WHO says if the world’s response to the Ebola crisis isn’t stepped up within 60 days, “a lot more people will die.”
