The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has sent a five-person team to the west African country of Guinea to investigate an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus.
The CDC team was dispatched at the request of the Guinea government and the World Health Organization.
According to CDC epidemiologist Dr. Barbara Knust, who works in the viral special pathogens branch, "[Zaire Ebola] has never been found outside of central Africa until this outbreak ... Also, Guinea had never had an Ebola outbreak before and this is the furthest west we’ve had one. There are some unusual things about this outbreak and certainly things to be investigated further to understand its origins.”
The CDC reported that, as of April 1, "the Guinea Guinea Ministry of Health announced a total of 127 suspect and confirmed cases of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever(EHF), including 83 deaths, in the districts of Guékédou, Macenta, Kissidougou, Dabola, Djingaraye, and Conakry, the capital."
[Fox News] [CDC]
