Saudi Arabia is testing a man for suspected Ebola infection after he returned recently from a business trip to Sierra Leone, the kingdom’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
It said the man, a Saudi in his 40s, was at a hospital in Jeddah after showing “symptoms of viral haemorrhagic fever”, which resemble symptoms of the Ebola virus.
The ministry said it had taken precautionary measures, including isolating the patient at a specialist hospital and had sent blood samples to an international laboratory in coordination with the World Health Organisation (WHO) for further checks.
Ebola is one of the deadliest diseases known in humans with a case fatality rate of up to 90 per cent. The death rate in the current West Africa outbreak is around 60 per cent.
Saudi Arabia has been on alert against the spread of the virus from west Africa, where more than 800 people have died, suspending issuance of visas from several countries for the annual Haj pilgrimage.
WHO chief Margaret Chan said last week that an outbreak of the virus in West Africa was out of control but can be stopped with more resources and tougher measures. The outbreak is the worst since the disease was discovered in the mid-1970s.
There are no effective treatments and no vaccine to protect against Ebola infection. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with the blood or fluids of the infected, including the dead.
Meanwhile, British Airways became the latest airline to suspend services to the affected region over concerns about the spread of the disease. The airline said it had “suspended our flights to and from Liberia and Sierra Leone until August 31”.
In the United States, a second American aid worker infected with Ebola arrived in Atlanta yesterday, where doctors would closely monitor the effect of an experimental drug she agreed to take even though its safety has not been tested on humans.
Nancy Writebol would join Dr Kent Brantly in the isolation unit at Emory University Hospital, just downhill from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
* Reuters
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
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SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)