Mali reports detecting 3 suspected Ebola cases

Authorities in Mali have announced the detection of three suspected cases of the deadly Ebola disease which has already claimed 84 lives in neighboring Guinea.

“Three suspected cases of haemorrhagic fever (Ebola) have been detected in the country. Samples have been taken and sent abroad for analysis,” Mali’s Health Minister Ousmane Kone said on Thursday.

The patients are reportedly isolated and receiving necessary medical attention until results are received from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where the samples have been sent.

The results of the tests are to be released as soon as they are received.

The government, however, said in a statement that the condition of the patients was improving.

Authorities in neighboring Liberia, where seven people have died of haemorrhagic fever since March, also stated on Thursday that they were investigating the first suspected case of Ebola that has originated from their own borders.

If the case is confirmed, it will be viewed as a major concern in the fight to halt the spread of Ebola, since the recently confirmed case has been tied to individuals returning from Guinea.

The disease is now threatening the neighboring nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal.

The deadly viral infection has no known cure. It is spread by close contact and touching, causing death through uncontrollable bleeding with a fatality rate of up to 95 percent.