Woman dies of Ebola-like symptoms at Nairobi hospital

[News_Editor]

Woman dies of Ebola-like symptoms at Nairobi hospital

2011-12-23 01:15:57 GMT+7 (ICT)

NAIROBI (BNO NEWS) -- Kenyan health authorities are investigating the death of a woman who died upon arrival at a hospital in the capital of Nairobi on Thursday morning, officials said. The symptoms were said to be similar to those of Ebola, but tests are still underway.

The woman arrived by taxi at Kenyatta National Hospital at around 10.20 a.m. local time on Thursday morning. "She was bleeding heavily from parts of her body and she died even before she could be taken out of the car," Masika Wafula, a consultant on infectious diseases, told reporters at the hospital, as quoted by Capital FM.

Hospital officials said the woman, who was identified as 29-year-old Gladys Muthoni, was bleeding from her mouth, nose, ears and anus when she arrived at the hospital. Three people who were with her, Muthoni's father, a friend and the taxi driver, have been put into quarantine as a precaution.

The symptoms appeared to be similar to those of the deadly Ebola virus, but it can be easily confused with many other diseases. "From her symptoms, this is not a common disease. We are taking all precautions and the necessary tests are being carried out," Wafula said, adding that the results were due on Friday.

Capital FM cited the victim's sister Racheal as saying that she worked at a hotel in downtown Nairobi and complained of sharp pains all over her body and a headache before she started bleeding. "I can't believe my sister is dead," she told Capital FM. "She was well until she was sent to buy groceries for the hotel where she worked."

A team of medical personnel has been sent to the hotel where the woman worked, and the three persons who were placed in quarantine are also undergoing tests to determine whether they are sick. Several national and international health organizations are assisting.

"The WHO County Office in Kenya is in contact with health authorities and the Kenyan Ministry of Health," said Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO). "At this stage we don't have any details regarding the reported case."

On May 6, a 12-year-old girl died in a town near the Ugandan capital of Kampala after being diagnosed with Ebola. The case sparked immediate fears of an epidemic, and the Kenyan Ministry of Health issued an alert to people living near the Ugandan border.

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