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Senegal confirms its first case of Ebola

DAKAR (Senegal) — Senegal has recorded its first case of Ebola in an outbreak that is ravaging its West African neighbours, the Ministry of Health said today (Aug 29).

Red Cross workers walk through a section of West Point, an area that has been hit hard by the Ebola virus, with residents not allowed to leave as government forces clamp down on movement to prevent the spread of Ebola, in  Monrovia, Liberia, Aug 27, 2014  Photo: AP

Red Cross workers walk through a section of West Point, an area that has been hit hard by the Ebola virus, with residents not allowed to leave as government forces clamp down on movement to prevent the spread of Ebola, in Monrovia, Liberia, Aug 27, 2014 Photo: AP

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DAKAR (Senegal) — Senegal has recorded its first case of Ebola in an outbreak that is ravaging its West African neighbours, the Ministry of Health said today (Aug 29).

The infected person is a young man from Guinea, Health Minister Awa Marie Coll Seck told reporters.

The outbreak that has killed more than 1,500 people began last year in Guinea, which shares a border with Senegal. Since then, the disease has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. At least 3,000 people have contracted the virus.

The arrival of the dreaded disease in Senegal, whose capital Dakar is a major transportation hub for the region, is likely to increase fears about the disease’s uncontrolled spread even further.

The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak is worsening and offered new evidence of its acceleration today, saying the past week has seen the highest increase of cases since the outbreak began.

The UN health agency has warned that the disease could eventually infect 20,000 people, and unveiled a plan yesterday to stop transmission in the next six to nine months. AP

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