No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeEbolaCuban man sent to fight Ebola in Guinea dies of malaria

Cuban man sent to fight Ebola in Guinea dies of malaria

ICYMI: No need to declare emergency over Ebola threat, says health official

CONAKRY, Guinea – A Cuban man working in Guinea to help battle the killer Ebola virus has died of malaria, the west African nation said on Monday.

Jorge Juan Guerra Rodríguez, 60, was working as an administrator with a team of Cuban medical personnel sent to west Africa this month to stem the spread of the virus.

He died of cerebral malaria on Sunday after he tested negative for Ebola, the Guinean government’s Ebola response coordinator Sakoba Keita and Cuban officials told AFP.

“He will be buried here in Conakry on Tuesday, in accordance with the instructions of the Cuban Foreign Ministry,” Keita said.

Cuba’s health ministry said Rodríguez had not been in contact with treatment centers or with Ebola patients, but he was given two tests for Ebola, both of which were negative.

He was initially treated for diarrhea, a symptom of both malaria and Ebola, before his health rapidly deteriorated.

“In the early morning hours, … his health was worsening, and eventually he suffered multi-organ failure and died in the afternoon,” Cuba’s Health Ministry said.

The economist, from Sancti Spiritus in central Cuba, traveled to Guinea on Oct. 6 and began showing signs of illness on Oct. 22.

Cuba has sent 256 health professionals — including 83 doctors and nurses — to Ebola-stricken west Africa to help combat the spread of the deadly epidemic.

The virus has already killed more than 4,900 people, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people around the world each year, mainly children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Both ailments have similar symptoms, including fever, aches, vomiting and diarrhea, but Ebola is passed by bodily fluids, while malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes.

Cuba’s response to the Ebola epidemic has won plaudits from humanitarian workers who say the international community’s reaction has been lacking.

Eventually, Cuba plans to deploy more than 450 medical personnel in west Africa.

Trending Now

Can Costa Rica’s Blue Zone Preserve Its Longevity Legacy?

The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is recognized worldwide as one of the five blue zones, where people live beyond the age of 90...

A Closer Look at the Elusive Purple Gallinule in Costa Rica

Quick! Think of a purple bird! It’s a little difficult, right? I searched my brain and came up with a purple martin. A small...

Costa Rica Food Culture: From Bar Bocas to Fast Food Chains

Once upon a time in Costa Rica, you could walk into a bar, order a beer, and receive a free boca – a small...

Costa Rica Opens New Pedestrian Bridge at Guayabo National Monument

Costa Rica has added a new attraction to its archaeological sites with the opening of a pedestrian bridge at Guayabo National Monument. The structure...

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Drowning in Costa Rica Ruled Accidental

The death of American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been confirmed as accidental drowning, according to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). Warner, 54, was...

Costa Rica Launches Traceability System to Tackle Illegal Logging

Costa Rica is advancing with the creation of a National Forest Traceability System, a key tool to guarantee the legality and sustainability of timber...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica