2014 Ebola outbreak countries with active transmission
After Dr. Craig Spencer was discharged from New York City hospital last Tuesday, after being diagnosed with Ebola on October 23, another doctor has tested positive to the incurable virus. Dr. Feliz Baez is part of the Cuban medical contingency that traveled to West Africa to participate in six-month relief efforts in the fight to stem the virus. Baez, who is 43 years old, will receive treatment in Geneva under the management of an infectious disease specialist, after he was initially treated with the drug duralgin in Sierra Leone, where he contracted Ebola.
The outbreak, which began in March, is officially the worst-ever Ebola incident in history, and November 14 data shows that out of 14,133 cases, 5,450 deaths have been recorded. Cuba, which routinely sends medical teams to international disaster locations in exchange for goods and money, has been praised for its efforts, and Baez was part of a contingency of 165 doctors and nurses who landed in Sierra Leone. Smaller Cuban teams also arrived in Liberia and Guinea, where Ebola is also a significant issue.
All medical staff are required to wear full-body protective suits while working in Ebola-affected areas, and they must also abide by strict procedures. The Cuban professionals underwent three weeks of training at home, before receiving another 15-days worth in West Africa.
Baez, who is father to two sons-including an 18-month-old baby-was in a stable condition on Wednesday, and registered a low fever and no complications. Both Baez and the director of tropical diseases in Cuba, Jorge Perez, are unable to identify an error that led to the diagnosis. Perez informed the media that Baez "sent information saying he doesn't remember how or where, doesn't know what his mistake may have been in getting infected".
Baez is due to arrive in Geneva on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, another 205 Cuban medical staff are awaiting their Ebola assignments.
