Estonian soldiers in Mali eye Ebola spread

Photo: Reuters/ScanPix

Mali, the latest land touched by Ebola is in an emergency situation and, fearing the virus, neighbouring Mauritania has closed borders. With eight Estonians serving in the nation affected, Defence Forces are paying attention.

In Mali, all eyes are focussed on Kayes, a city in the western part of it. In a local hospital this Friday, death took a two year old girl called Fanta Conte – having arrived from the next door Guinea devastated by Ebola. The child, developing symptoms while on the journey, travelled the long way with grandma in a bus coming in contact with several people.

Now Kayes, a city of 130,000 inhabitants, has been equipped with medical stuff and staff – to resist new outbreaks. By powers, antibacterial means have been distributed to hotels, state agencies, and homes.

According to news agency AFP young volunteers are moving about the town, going door to door and delivering information on how to avoid infection. According to locals, they have given up shaking hands just in case – for instance. While schools continued this week, lots of parents prefer not to send kids to larger companies of people at the moment.

A six member training team sent from Estonia to EU mission EUTM-Mali is located over 600 km from Kayes, in Mali’s capital called Bamako. Two staff officers are in Timbuktu, even farther away from the town that saw Ebola – 1,600 kilometres strong.

«The troops serving in Mali are keeping themselves in the know and are aware of the danger and methods of avoiding infection,» Captain Arvo Jõesalu of Defence Forces press department commented to Postimees yesterday.

«Also, Defence Forces are keeping an eye on the spread of Ebola in the region and consulting with allies involved in the mission to be able to react adequately to virus clusters as health of the troops and protection from infections is vital,» continued Capt. Jõesalu. «For this, Defence Forces have carried out the needed preparations.»

«Should our allies decide to pull their troops out of Mali due to virus hazard, Estonia will do likewise,» added the press rep.

Yesterday, the USA announced it would no longer be quarantining medical workers arriving from helps missions to Western Africa to fight the epidemic, from now on to just keep an attentive eye on their health. Namely, the administration came under criticism due to treatment of nurse Kaci Hickox back from Sierra Leone last week – the lady, quarantined in her homeland with no symptoms whatsoever said she almost felt like a criminal.

Meanwhile, Australia provoked comparisons to North-Korea after announcing it will not allow entry by people from West-Africa.

The virus cluster breaking out last winter has resulted in over 10,000 people infected and close to 5,000 dead.