Authorities Fear Spread of Ebola After Ill Man Flew Across West Africa

Tags:
2014-07-29

Health authorities are trying to determine who on a series of flights across West Africa last week came into contact with a man who days later died of the Ebola virus.

Patrick Sawyer boarded a flight in Liberia, had a layover in Ghana, and changed planes in Togo for a flight to Nigeria, where he died on Friday from the virus.

Sawyer was immediately quarantined after arriving in Nigeria, but other passengers were allowed to leave the airport after they were told about the outbreak.

Witnesses said Sawyer was vomiting and had diarrhea on at least one of his flights.

But health experts said that is not necessarily enough to infect others. Contracting Ebola requires direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

Authorities are questioning how it is that a man whose sister recently died of Ebola was allowed to leave his country during an Ebola outbreak.

Sawyer, a 40-year-old man who worked for Liberia's Finance Ministry, was headed to Nigeria for a conference.

Source: Voice of America

  • 378 reads